Cold Cold Heart
by Mellkat86
Summary: AU with no magic. Rumald Gold's son is not doing well in school and needs tutoring. Maurice French is behind again with the rent. His daughter fresh back from graduating college offers to tutor Albert 'Bae' Gold as payment for her father's debt. The deal has been made, but Belle gets more than she expected. *Storybrooke residents used* *Some chapters are M rated*
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Reaching inside across the front seat of his Cadillac, Rumald collected the bouquet of flowers he had stopped to buy on his way home from the shop. He had been feeling down about the argument Milah and he had started the day with, throwing accusations across the breakfast table at each other. The feeling deep in his stomach would not leave him, a nagging that she was seeing someone else behind his back. Why he had chosen to bring it up at the breakfast table still eluded him. It had just come out when she put a plate of toast down on the table, asking if there was something she wanted to tell him. The way she had aggressively defended herself did not lull the feeling in his stomach, but his heart had lurched to her with an apology.

He shut the door to his Cadillac and crossed the front lawn to climb the steps to the porch. The red sports car by the kerb caught his attention from the corner of his eye. A young man sat on the wing of the car, black sunglasses on, with his phone pressed against his ear. Rumald did not know the man, but judging by how young he looked, they probably did not share the same circles.

The front door creaked as Rumald opened it, adding the job to his list to do, he shut the door. He threw his keys on the entrance hall table whilst looking through into the living room. The sight of his son, Albert, watching the television, sitting cross-legged on the floor, made Rumald smile. The five year old was everything to Rumald. When he had learnt that Milah was pregnant, Rumald had left everything in Scotland to join them and make a life in Storybrooke.

As he thought of Milah, Rumald peeled himself away from the sight of his son and went in search of his wife. The suitcases at the bottom of the stairs caught his attention as he walked pass. The only trip they were due to take was not for another two months, when they were going to be visiting his family in Scotland. Frowning at them, he carried on through into the kitchen where he found Milah pacing back and forth on the other side of the kitchen counter. She was chatting in hushed whispers to someone on the phone, her hand quickly waved through the air as she made her point. Rumald loved that fire about her. It was how they had ended up in the situation five years later. A spilt drink on her dress and several later, he had awoken in his hotel room with her beside him.

"Oh!" Milah gasped, spotting Rumald lingering in the opening between the hallway and the kitchen, and held a hand over her chest. "Okay, I'll be there in a minute."

Making his way over to her as she put the phone down, Rumald held the bouquet of flowers towards her and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "My love, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" She asked forcing a smile and took the flowers from him to put into the sink.

"For this morning." He explained following her around the kitchen, reaching to touch her arm. "I'm so weak. I should know you wouldn't do that to me."

"Yes… Well…" She mumbled twisting away from his touch.

"How about I see if Mrs Potts could watch Bae and we can go out for dinner?" Rumald suggested to her as he caught her in a hug and kissed her near her ear lobe. Her hands pushed strongly against his chest. Relenting he let her escape his arms and watched as she quickly moved to the other side of the kitchen island, putting space between them.

"Rumald," Her tone was neutral but her eyes avoided his as the feeling in his stomach knotted. "I'm leaving you."

He gestured towards the direction of the suitcases in the hallway. "I saw the bags. I'm sorry for this morning. You don't need to go to your mother's over this."

"I'm not going to my mother's." She informed him as her eyes finally met his. There was a time that he had seen love in those eyes for him. Now all there seemed to be was a coldness towards him.

"I don't understand. Where're you going?" He inquired taking a step around the island and reached to touch her arm.

Milah jumped away from him as if his touch would burn her, her arms clutched around her, her fingers digging into the bare skin of her arm. "I'm going. You were right this morning. There is someone else." She paused when his shoulders fell. "I'm sorry, Rum, I don't love you."

"Milah, I love you though." He pleaded taking a step towards her, but she counteracted him by taking one back towards the hallway. "I gave up everything for us and Bae."

"Don't call him Bae! It's Albert!" She seethed at him, always hating Rumald's nickname for their son.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Look, let's just sit down and talk about this." Rumald gestured to the breakfast table beside her. He could feel his eyes were glistening with the idea of her leaving him. It broke him. Milah shook her head forcefully at him as she took further steps backwards towards the hallway.

"There's no talking about it, Rum." She told him grabbing her coat from the hook in the hallway. Staggering through from the kitchen to the hallway, Rumald slumped against the wall and rubbed at his chest, feeling like someone had shot his heart.

"Please, for Albert's sake. Stay and talk to me." He begged her with a tear falling down his cheek. The look she shot him was quickly shook away by her head as she collected the two large suitcases and avoided looking at him. Five years spent with her, destroyed in the five minutes of him being home.

The door creaked before the door handle banged against the wall behind the door. Milah struggled through the doorway with the two large suitcases. Even though she had broken his heart, Rumald could not help himself when he leaped forward to help her. As he reached for the handle on one of the cases, he touched the hand of someone else, a larger hand than his wife's. His eyes followed the hand up the arm it belonged to, to the face that peered down at him, grinning coolly at Rumald.

Milah gave the suitcase to the other man quickly, taking advantage of the momentary lapse in Rumald's reaction. While watching the younger man traipse down his porch steps, he was barely aware of Milah telling him that it was in his and their son's best interest if she left. Rumald watched the young man open the trunk on the red sports car and tossed the suitcase into it. The man made his way smugly up the path towards the steps of his porch. Clenching his hands at his sides into fists, Rumald took a step out onto the porch, ignoring Milah as she told him that it was unfair to keep pretending she loved him. As the other man came to the top of the step and reached for the other suitcase, Rumald could not help himself and uppercut him, sending him sprawling back down the steps.

"Rumald! What the hell!" Milah cried at Rumald, chasing the other man down the steps with her suitcase in hand. He watched as Milah dropped her suitcase and cradled the other man's head between her hands, asking if he was all right, as Rumald trudged down the steps. Seeing Rumald coming towards them, Milah encouraged the man to get to his feet and helped him, guiding him to stand behind her.

"You're not just leaving me and our son," Rumald fumed at Milah and pointed an accusing finger at the other man. "You're leaving us for him!"

She swallowed and glanced over her shoulder at the other man. "Rumald, don't make a scene, please!"

"A scene? You're worried that I'll make a scene!" He shouted at her.

"Look, mate, don't make this any worse than what it is." The man said holding a hand to his jaw.

"Mate? Did you just call me mate?" Rumald raged taking a step forward but Milah stopped him by putting her hands on his chest.

"Killian, take the case to the car." She told Killian over her shoulder. Crooking his neck, Rumald glared down at Milah with her hands still hovering over his chest. He slapped her hands away from him and watched her take a staggered step back, shocked by his reaction. Never in the time they had been together, had Rumald ever laid an aggressive finger on her. He had worshipped the ground she walked on, given her everything she had ever asked for and more. Changed his life to be with her.

"Rum, I didn't want it to be like this." Milah tried to explain. "But when you said what you said this morning, the guilt was too much to bear. I had to put an end to it before I hurt you both."

Rumald could not help the chuckle that erupted from him before he responded. "Hurt us? What do you think you're doing? Putting us out of our misery like an animal?"

"It doesn't have to be like this." She said as Killian called to her from the safety of the sidewalk. Hearing his call Milah glanced over her shoulder to see Killian gesture to his watch, reminding her they had somewhere to be. Expectantly, Rumald waited for whatever crap she was about to tell him as she turned back to look at him. When her gaze returned to his direction, it strayed to somewhere behind him. He frowned following her gaze over his shoulder to find Albert stood at the top of the porch, his eyes red and tears streamed down his cheeks.

Leaving her stood in the middle of the front lawn, Rumald hurried up the steps to Albert and scooped him up into his arms, cradling his son's head to his shoulder. "Believe me, Milah, it does need to be like this. Now leave."

He watched her slowly make her way down the path to the sidewalk. When Killian opened the door and held it open for her, Milah stopped to look back at what she was leaving. There was no show of remorse or any kind of emotion as she turned away from the sight of them and climbed into the car. Killian shut the car door and dared a glance at Rumald, rubbing his jaw absently as he went around the car to climb into the driver's side. The car roared to life and sped off down the road.

Holding his son tightly, Rumald carried him inside and kicked the door close behind them. He dropped into the couch in the living room with Albert in his arms and laid his son's legs across his lap to make him comfortable. Mentally Rumald swore he was never going to let that happen to him or his son ever again. They did not deserved to be abandoned by Milah and he was never going to let anyone be in the position to do it again.


	2. Chapter 2

The trip to Storybrooke had been long. Especially as Belle decided she wanted to prolong her freedom by driving all the way back from California. The road trip itself had been uneventful and had given her time to decide what she wanted to do with her degree in literature. There were so many doors open to her. She was toying with the idea of going back into education to become a teacher, but it would require money and that was something neither her father nor she could afford. Another reason for her return back to her father's side in Storybrooke.

Driving down the main street of Storybrooke, Belle took in the sights of the shop fronts, trying to spot the frontage of her father's flower shop. While she had been at college, her father had announced he was going to make a fresh start in Maine and open a flower shop like her mother had always wanted to do. Belle knew the truth. Her father had ran from his problems and debts, hoping in a new town he could get away from them. She hoped it would work, but she knew it would not last. The amount they had moved around when she was child told her he was never going to change. Gambling and debts were her father's demons.

She smiled at the sign of her father's shop, 'Game of Thorns'. The memory of sitting in her dorm room, trying to write paper on 'the expectations literature put on real life romance', with her father asking her opinion on a shop name, made her smile. Belle had only jokily suggested 'Game of Thorns' as she spied her roommate's collection of boxsets. It seemed to have stuck.

Belle pulled into the alleyway beside her father's shop and parked her car close to the wall, leaving space for people to get by. Climbing out the car, Belle looked around taking in her surroundings whilst she closed the door to her car. She ambled to the sidewalk and surveyed the street. For a midday Friday, there did not seem to be much passing trade, as in there was no one. A few people were going about their business, but she would not call them shoppers.

As Belle turned to go back to her car for her bag, she bumped into someone, who cursed her for her clumsiness. Losing her balance, Belle clung to the other person and got her footing. She looked up from her feet to their chest. Her eyes were drawn to the gold necktie clip, glistening against the dark colours. The three-piece suit was tailored. She could tell by how well it fitted him, hugging his frame. Her eyes worked their way up to his face. The glare would have been enough for a legion of soldiers to turn tail and run away, but Belle found it endearing. There was something hidden in his eyes.

"Do we need pointing in the direction of the opticians?" He asked her, holding his arms wide so no one could mistake their closeness for an embrace.

"Maybe." Belle replied with a giggled. Letting go of his suit jacket lapels, Belle straightened the front of his suit, smoothing the creases she had caused. He grumbled his annoyance at her and knocked her hands away to step passed her. Curiously, she watched him saunter away and comb his fingers through his short greying hair. Something about him had caught her interest.

Remembering where she was going before bumping into him, Belle started towards her car and opened the trunk to retrieve her bag. She fingered through some of her other belongings in the trunk and decided to leave them until later. The trunk clonked shut when she slammed it. Belle pocketed the keys to her car in her denim jacket and shouldered the strap of her bag as she came out of the alleyway to head to the entrance of her father's shop. The last time she had seen him was Christmas, when he had roped her into helping him pack up their old house ready for his move.

The shop door was ajar when she reached for the door handle. Pushing the door open, Belle stepped inside and pushed the door close. As she turned to go further into the shop, she paused hearing the door click and creaked as it opened. She turned to the door again and pushed it closed, turning the doorknob when it was shut. Belle released the doorknob and waited with her hand hovering near it for the door to open itself. When it did not open, she smiled triumphantly to herself and went deeper into the shop.

"Be there in a minute." A voice called from the back of the shop. Belle touched some of the flowers as she passed, heading to the doorway of the back room. She stopped in the doorway, when she saw her father assembling a bouquet. He looked tired, the lines on his forehead were deeper than the last time she saw him. It scared her how he was aging so quickly, a reminder he was not going to be around forever.

Her father picked something out from the bouquet and threw it to the floor. Happy with his creation he turned ready to make his way into the other room, but stopped with his hand on the workbench to support him.

"Belle! Darling!" Maurice greeted, quickly crossing the back room to engulf her into a hug. "I wasn't expecting you till tonight."

She hugged her father tightly. "Yeah, I know, but I just wanted to get here."

"Hey, do you want any lunch or anything? We could go to Grannies." He asked letting go of her to hold her by her upper arms.

"No, I'm good. I stopped and had something earlier." She told him, smiling at his concern.

"Okay, well… Why don't you, go upstairs and get yourself settled in? I've set your room up like it was in the old house." He informed her as he guided her to the stairs. Belle tiptoed up and kissed her father's cheek. Maurice smiled, while rubbing his hand over her back. She climbed the stairs taking her bag from her shoulder, glancing from picture to picture on her way upstairs. Near the top of the stairs was a picture of her and her mother, sitting at one end of a rowing boat, laughing at one another.

The picture sadden Belle, an unneeded reminder that her mother was dead. It would not be the first time, Belle had wondered if her mother was still alive, whether her father would have gotten himself into so much debt over the years. He probably would have either way. However, Belle would not have had to deal with it all on her own.

Turning her back on the picture, Belle searched for her room, glancing into each room until she spotted her collection of cuddly toys stacked in the corner of one of the rooms. She smiled at the display while she entered the room and plonked her bag down onto the double bed. It was like going back in time being in her room. Many of her childhood mementoes scattered around the room and posters of old heart throbs hung on the walls. Belle shook her head at the displays and noted she had a lot of reorganising to do.

Downstairs she could hear raised voices. Venturing from her bedroom, Belle stood at the top of the stairs and listened to the conversation below. Her father was getting agitated, pleading with someone for more time. She rolled her eyes, kicking herself mentally, as she marched down the stairs to the shop below.

"Look, Mr French, I've been fair." The voice told her father. "Our deal was thirty days and you would pay me five hundred dollars. Not four hundred and fifty."

"I'm sorry, Mr Gold, but I need the money to buy stock this weekend. I should have the remainder by Wednesday." Maurice pleaded with the other man, his hands clasped in front of him at a poor attempt of pray. From where Belle stood at the bottom of the stairs, she could see the beads of sweat covering her father's brow. She could not understand her father. It was lost on her, how he was able to get himself into these situations.

Shoving her hand into the pocket of her jacket, Belle pulled out her wad of money and counted the fifty out as she squeezed between her father and the doorway. She held the money out whilst she came through the doorway into the front of the shop. The man she had bumped into earlier stood before her, counting through the money that Maurice had already given him.

He looked up from the money in his hands to the money she offered before looking at her face. "You?"

"Here's the fifty." Belle told him, nodding towards the money in her hand.

"It's his debt, not yours." He informed her.

"He's my father. So his debts are my debts." She said waving the money at him. "Take it and leave."

"Very well." The corner of his lips twitched whilst he took the money from Belle. Earlier, she would have said that he was handsome. Now, he was a handsome debt collector, who had joined the list of the most detested people she had met. Belle seethed at the sight of him counting the money as he left the shop, calling to her father that he would see him next month.

When the door shut, Belle turned to her father. "More debts?"

"That's my landlord, I swear. I don't have any debts like before." He swore to her, holding his hand over his heart like it would help his case. Shaking her head, Belle trudged her way back upstairs and into her room. She shut the door behind her and dropped onto her bed, cursing herself for helping her father. Everything she had, Belle had gotten herself by working hard at school and a part time job after school. If she had not landed a scholarship, she would never had attended college. Now, even after all her hard work had paid off, it seemed life was back to her supporting her father.


	3. Chapter 3

Belle heaved the heavy trash bags into the dumpster at the back of her father's shop, pleased with the amount of rubbish she had cleared out from her room. Her weekend had been spent going through all her old things and getting rid of the childish items that were in her room, which did not hold any fond memories of her mother. She had helped her father reorganise the shop, trying to make it more appealing to the customers, and had made a display to outside the front of the shop. If she was going to be his crutch, then she was going to work her hardest to make it work. They had four weeks to get the rent together for next month. Belle was not going to help her father financially again.

Rubbing her hands on the front of her jeans, Belle wandered out of the alleyway to the sidewalk and headed back into the shop. Her father was dealing with a customer when she walked pass. He smiled at her, but she did not return his smile. She was still annoyed with him. When she entered the back of the shop, Belle grabbed her denim jacket from the hook and shrugged it on as she left the shop.

She headed down the street in search of Grannies, heading in the direction her father had pointed out at the weekend. As Belle ambled down the sidewalk, she shoved her hands into the small pockets of her jacket. Everyone was pleasant in Storybrooke. Calling morning across the street at one another, a shocking experience for Belle when someone had said morning to her the day previous. She was so used to keeping herself to herself. Sure, that if someone spoke to her, it would be because they were after something. In Storybrooke, there was a community spirit, a help my neighbour attitude.

Belle checked the close was clear before crossing at the intersection. As she stepped onto the kerb, a black Cadillac drove passed her and turned the corner, heading in the same direction as her. She watched the car as she walked up the sidewalk, noting she was nearly at Grannies, when the car pulled over and teenager got out of the car. He leaned into the car and spoke to someone as Belle turned into the fenced area of Grannies and slowly climbed the steps up onto the porch. Opening the door, Belle suddenly felt a presence behind her and turned her head to see the young man behind her, slightly towering over her, and he reached over her shoulder to hold the door open.

"Let me get that for you, ma'am." Belle smiled at his kindness and bowed her head in thanks to him. He followed her into Grannies and excused himself pass her to join a girl in a booth, near the back of the diner. She stood in the middle of the diner, glancing around at the tables and booths before she decided to take a seat at the counter. Shifting onto the stool, Belle studied the menu over the counter and tried to decide what she wanted to eat.

"I would recommend cheese burger and bacon." A young woman suggested, leaning onto the counter on the opposing side.

Belle looked down from the menu and smiled at the woman. "Mmm… okay. And an ice tea."

"You're Moe's daughter." The woman stated as she scribbled on her notepad in her hand.

"Yeah," Her eyebrows scrunched at the other woman. "How'd you know?"

"He's always talking about ya. I'm Ruby." Ruby informed her and held her hand out for Belle to shake.

"Belle." She greeted and shook the other woman's hand. Ruby flashed Belle a smile as she walked off to give Belle's order to the kitchen. Belle observed Ruby and silently applauded the other woman for being brave enough to wear a skirt that high. She was too conservative herself to wear anything like that. Many of the girls at college had worn similar outfits to Ruby, but Belle never felt comfortable wearing something so short that it barely covered anything.

The bell above the door rung when it opened. Peering over her shoulder to the door, Belle rolled her eyes at the annoyance that walked into Grannies. Mr Gold paused to look around the diner before briskly walking to the back of the diner.

"Albert!" Mr Gold called to someone behind Belle's back. Belle pulled her phone out of her jeans and checked her emails.

"Dad, I've told you, Al or Bae." Albert informed his father. "I hate Albert."

"You're supposed to be studying. You know that thing I keep moaning at you about." Mr Gold said his annoyance showing in his voice. At hearing his tone, Belle ogled over her shoulder, seeing Mr Gold stood in front of the booth of the young man who had held the door open for her.

Albert shook his head at his father. "We are!"

He slung the backpack he had been carrying at his son. "Bit hard when you leave this in my car."

"I don't need it. Emma's got everything I need." Albert said while he gestured towards Emma across the table.

"Yes," Mr Gold responded, angling himself to see the seat Emma occupied. "She really looks like she's got all the material. Looks more like a date to me."

"Dad!" Albert cried. "We're having something to eat and then we're going to the library!"

"Just make sure you go there. Remember, I can see the library from my shop." Mr Gold reminded his son as he turned to come towards the counter. Before his gaze turned to the counter, Belle went back to looking at her phone and scrolled through her emails. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his hands rest onto the edge of the counter while he sighed heavily to himself.

Ruby strolled over to face him on the other side of the counter. "Afternoon, Mr Gold. What can I get you?"

"Coffee to go." He told her reaching into his pocket to get his money. Turning her back to Mr Gold, Ruby grabbed a takeaway cup and the pot of coffee, and filled the cup with coffee. As she pressed the lid onto the cup, Ruby turned back to face Mr Gold and smiled at him.

He held some dollars towards her with his other hand waiting expectantly for his drink. "No use wasting that smile on me, dearie. I won't tip you more for it."

The smile did not leave Ruby's face as she took the money from him. He took the cup from her and walked off behind Belle and out of her sight. Belle heard the bell above the door ring as he left.

"What an ass." Belle mumbled locking her phone and shoved it into her pocket. Ruby placed Belle's ice tea in front of her on the counter.

"He's not that bad." Ruby defended. "You just gotta get to know him."

Belle frowned at Ruby. "How is he not that bad? He was just rude to you."

"That's just his way these days."

Shaking her head at Ruby, Belle did not believe her while she took hold of her ice tea to steady it, slurping at the straw in her drink. Ruby looked towards the kitchen window when someone called her and went off towards the kitchen. Curious, Belle looked back over at Mr Gold's son and Emma. They were laughing and smiling at one another across the table. It was nice to see such innocence in love. They were yet to find out about heartache.

If you had asked Belle a year ago, what she thought about love, she would have told you that it was magical thing. It was the most amazing gift to put upon to two people. A mystery that two people had to peel back to see the hidden meaning underneath. That had been her opinion until she had found Gaston, her ex-boyfriend, with his lips attached to another girl. She had thought they were in love, they had said it every day to one another and during sex. He had woken her up from the spell that her books had put on her, showing her love was nothing like it was in her books. Informing her during her fight that her books put these stupid thoughts in her head. Belle had thought her idea of love was normal: boy meets girl, they fall in love, they get married, they have children, and they die together.

"Here you go." Ruby brought Belle out of her thoughts, placing the plate of food in front of Belle on the counter.

Belle blinked her eyes a couple of times and turned to face Ruby. "Thank you."

"No, trouble. Let me know if you need anything else." She offered as she strolled off. Belle glanced over her shoulder again at the young couple. A heaviness grew in her chest, jealous at the young couple.

Belle turned her head away from the couple and picked up her burger, posing it ready to take a bite when her phone when off in her pocket. Holding the burger in one hand, Belle dug her hand into her pocket and retrieved her phone. She pressed the button to make the screen light up and saw the message her father had sent her.

' _I'm going out with the boys tonight. Don't wait up, I'll probably be late.'_

She laid the phone onto the counter and reread the message as she took a bite out of her burger. The message was not new. It was the same thing he always said, when he went playing cards and lost more money than he had. As she plucked a fry from her plate, Belle shook her head and chose to ignore the message for now. There was nothing, she could do to change her father. All she could do was be there for him.


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting in the back room of her father's shop, Belle sat on a stool at one of the workbenches and went through the account books for the business. She could not believe how her father was on the point of bankruptcy. The accounts went up and down so much, Belle felt like she was on a rollercoaster as she read his books, hoping she could find some hope in them. The business made money, which was a definite. There was a big chunk of money taken out of the company every now and then, labelled 'loan from company'. The only problem was the money was not being put back into the company.

Belle shook her head and jotted down on her notepad another entry she found for 'loan from company', disbelieving the amount. She told herself she was going to be having words with her father that evening. This had to stop otherwise he would lose everything. They would lose everything.

Heavily sighing Belle stood from her stool and walked over to the kettle, filled it with water and placed it on its stand to set it off to boil. She ambled across to the doorway to the front of the shop. Holding her hand leisurely on the doorframe, Belle opened her mouth to speak to her father from where she stood, but stopped seeing her father talking to 'him'.

As much as she had tried to avoid him, no matter where Belle went in Storybrooke, Mr Gold always seemed to be there or followed her into places. She knew it was because it was a small town, but that did not stop her annoyance of him. They never spoke. Did not acknowledge one another as they passed in the aisles of shops. Keeping themselves to themselves. Belle much preferred it like that. However much she was tempted to give him a piece of her mind, telling him how despicable she thought he was, releasing her hatred of debt collectors at him, she never said a word to him.

"Mr Gold, please," Her father pleaded at him, causing Belle to pull a face of disgust at the scene. "Don't take my truck! If you take it, then I can't get more stock and get your money."

Mr Gold grinned at her father. "I asked you at the game, are you sure you want to do this? You just smiled at me, told me you had me and put my money on the table."

"Please!" Maurice implored grabbing hold of Mr Gold's suit jacket lapels.

"Hey!" Mr Gold shouted and broke out of Maurice's hold. "If you don't have the money to gamble with, then you shouldn't have played."

Belle closed her eyes, holding back the tears, disappointed with her father. It killed her to see her father had not changed. After plead, after plead, he still would not stop gambling their money away. The horror of watching through the banisters at one of their houses, as a man had beaten her father for failure to pay. It had only stopped when Belle had jumped onto her father to protect him and begged the man to stop, who subsequently left seeing the young girl in tears.

As she heard another plead from her father to Mr Gold, Belle opened her eyes and moved into the room saying. "How much does he owe you, Mr Gold?"

The two men turned to face her, her father more startled than Mr Gold at her presence. "Eight grand."

"Eight grand!" Belle repeated, flabbergasted at the amount. Her father cowered away from her, seeing the look of revolt on Belle's face.

"Yes, Miss French." Mr Gold said as he clasped his hand in front of him, rocking on the balls of his feet.

She shook her head as she spoke. "We don't have that kind of money."

"Which is why, I will take your father's truck as payment." Mr Gold informed her, his gaze focused over her shoulder, unwilling to look her in the eye. Just the same old behaviour of any debt collector. Guilty to look her in the eyes whilst they took her belongings to pay her father's debt.

"That isn't going to help. As my father said, if you take his truck then he won't be able to earn to repay you or the rent at the end of the month." Belle gestured to her father, dreaming that the back of hand connected with her father's cheek.

"That isn't my problem, Miss French." Mr Gold shrugged his shoulders at her, dismissing the problem.

Her father clasped his hands together, holding them out to Mr Gold beside him. "Please, Mr Gold, don't take my truck!"

"Father!" Belle scowled at him. "Go in the back. I will sort this with Mr Gold."

"Belle, I…" She interrupted him by holding her hand up to him, silencing him. Maurice's head and shoulders dropped as he stalked pass Belle, disappearing into the back of the shop just as she had commanded him. Rubbing at her left temple, Belle took a step towards Mr Gold, standing almost where her father had.

She bit at her bottom lip as she dropped her hand from her temple. "I can't afford to pay that debt and neither can he."

"Okay," Mr Gold said, his fingers played with the ring on his right hand. "So what would you like me to do with his debt?"

"The only thing I can offer is my services." Belle stated at him.

His brow scrunched at her statement. "Services?"

"You know, helping at your shop, with your business or cooking and cleaning." She explained to him, the tension on his forehead eased as she spoke.

"Sorry, dearie, but I have no need for any of those things." Mr Gold told her, wavering his hand flippantly through the air between them.

Belle's eyebrow rose, when a thought came to mind. "You need a tutor."

"Excuse me?" Mr Gold frowned at her, the lines across his forehead deep.

"I'm guessing you're having problems with… Albert?" Belle paused and waited until he nodded his head at her. "Getting him to study. I could tutor him."

He turned his face slightly away from her, his frown deepening as he thought about her proposition. "You'll tutor my son to pay your father's debt?"

"Win, win." She told him with a smile.

"How do you figure that, Miss French?" Mr Gold asked her. His eyes seemed to be studying her, probing her to see if there was a hidden agenda.

"You can have peace of mind knowing someone is making him study and I'll be paying our debt." Belle shrugged her shoulders at him, thinking it was obvious how they both won, even though she wished she were getting one over on him.

His frowned eased from his forehead, as he said. "Okay, but this is not your debt. This is your father's debt."

"It doesn't matter, whether it's his or mine, I always end up paying for it." Belle told him and witnessed a change in his demeanour for a second. There was a flicker of emotion in his eyes. A warmth had escaped from underneath his mask at her confession. Just as quick as it had shown, it was gone again.

He reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, retrieving a business card to hold out to her. "Here's my details. Albert is normally home from school at half three to four. I'll inform him you'll be meeting him at the house after school."

Belle took the card from his fingers. Their fingers brushed against one another as she gripped the card. His skin was warm and the tops of his fingers were soft. He yanked his hand away and quickly shoved it into his pants pocket. She watched him, lost for a second before he spun around to the door and went to it. Mr Gold quickly opened the door, but misjudged the distance and caught himself with the door. Holding back a giggle, Belle noticed his cheeks turn a deep shade of red, his embarrassment evident. Clumsily he smiled at her and left, closing the door behind him. His behaviour intrigued her. The man gave over the impression he was impervious, a strong and capable man. For a moment, Belle had seen a hint there was more to Mr Gold than the handsome debt collector who was hounding her father.

She studied his business card. The thick card had bold print of 'Mr R Gold' printed across the middle, with his home and business address and phone number printed underneath in a smaller font. There was smell to the card, which drew her to hold it near her nose. The card smelled citrus with a spicy element to it. Tapping the card against the knuckles of her other hand, she headed into the back of the shop. Her father stood making a drink, stirring the cups, as Belle retook her stool at the workbench and leant onto the bench, studying the card closer. Belle mumbled a thank you for her tea with her eyes fixated on the card.


	5. Chapter 5

The tension at home was thick in the air. The previous evening Belle and her father had rowed about the deal she had made with Mr Gold. As she had told him, Maurice was in no position to tell her what she should and should not be doing, especially as it was his entire fault. She was only in this position because he was too much of a coward to change, to put his demons to rest. Just as she had told him with venom in her voice, if he could not do the brave thing and change for the sake of his family, then what future was there for them? With the words hitting him deep, Maurice had dragged himself off to his room and had remained there for the rest of the evening.

They had worked in silence, her father mumbling things to her when he only needed to, asking for something from the back or help with moving the display. Belle knew she had hit him harder than any physical attack. For as long as she could remember, she had always been there for him, nursing him through the bad times and giving him strength. It was the first time she had struck him back, telling him a home truth. She had held back from telling him that he had ruined her childhood, because the struggle had given her the strength she shared with him.

Belle slung the strap for her bag over her shoulder as she left her bedroom, her jacket over her forearm, and made her way down the stairs. Entering the back room of the shop from the stairs, she checked the time with her watch strolling through into the front of the shop. She avoided looking at her father, where he stood at the counter serving someone, and left the shop to get into her car, slinging her bag and jacket onto the passenger seat as she slid into the driver's seat.

Driving through Storybrooke, Belle turned into the street indicated on his business card and slowed the pace of the car, scanning the house numbers until she came upon his. The exterior definitely caught your eye. She parked the car at the kerb in front of his house and dug his business card out of her jeans pocket, reading the address and glancing at the towering house beside her. A smile crept on her face, as she thought; he need not put his house number on his business card, just the colour of it. There was no mistaking this was his house, it stuck out from the rest like a sore thumb, a trait shared with its owner.

She grabbed her bag from the seat and clambered out of the car, shutting the door whilst she shouldered her bag again. Her gaze took in the house. She had never lived in a house as grand as his. A lot of the time they were rundown, the proprietors uncaring about the state of the property. And beggars could not be choosers. They could only get what they could afford before her father lost their money and they were kicked from the property, made to find another rat hole.

Belle stroked some of her hair out of her face and began up the path to the porch steps. The front flowerbeds and paintwork of the house were perfect. Not a weed grew in the flowerbeds. The edge of the flowerbeds chiselled flawlessly. No paint peeled off the woodwork, possibly freshly painted not so long ago. A keen eye kept the house in good order. As she stepped onto the porch steps, she expected to hear a creak from the wood but there was no sound. Just the echo of her footsteps under the porch.

Her finger pressed the doorbell while Belle continued to look about the porch, spotting a swing seat at the other end. Through the coloured glass of the door, Belle could see a figure coming to the door before the door yanked opened.

"Hi." Albert greeted, his body partly blocked by the door as he leaned around the edge to see her.

"Hi, Albert." Belle said and held her hand out towards him. "I'm Belle."

"Ah, right. Yeah, my father said you were coming." Albert's happy tone deflated as he spoke and reached his hand to shake hers, letting the door open more to reveal himself.

"Where would you like to study? Here or the library, or…?" She questioned waiting expectantly, nervously her hands played with the strap of her bag.

Albert stepped back opening the door wider and motioned for her to enter. "We can do it here. All my stuff is in my room."

"Okay." Belle smiled stepping into the house. The sight of their home astounded her. It was like a doll's house, seamlessly placed. Her eyes darted from the different ornaments to paintings, the wealth and taste of Mr Gold everywhere. He had many beautiful things in his collection, a lot of them she would purchase herself if she had a bottomless pit for a bank account.

"Do you want a drink or anything?" Albert asked ambling away from her to stop at the bottom of the stairs, his hand resting on the bottom newel of the stairs.

"Erm…" Belle dragged her eyes away from the living room to Albert and smiled. "No, I'm fine, thank you."

"Right, okay. Come on then." Albert said and trudged his way up the stairs, leaving her to follow behind him. As she started up the stairs, her eyes drew to the family pictures hanging on the wall. The majority of them were Mr Gold and Albert, apart from a few that had a woman with the two. Belle surmised it was Albert's mother. As she near the top of the stairs, she stopped seeing a picture of Mr Gold and Albert's mother, having their first dance as a married couple. He held her tight against him, his hand resting naturally on her lower back whilst he cradled her hand to his chest. Moving closer to the picture, Belle could see the love he felt for the woman in his face, but was not sure what she saw when she examined his wife's face.

"Belle?" Albert called from down the hallway. Yanking herself away from the picture, Belle quickly finished the last couple of steps and guiltily smiled at Albert, knowing he had caught her snooping. He shook his head and went back into his room before Belle turned into his room. She stopped in the doorway and surveyed his room, envious of how big his room was. In all the houses she had lived in, she had never had a room this large.

Remembering why she was there, Belle took her bag off her shoulder and joined Albert at his desk. "So… Tell me where you are with you grades at the minute."

"Well, I mostly get E's and D's these days." He told her wheeling a chair over to her to take.

"These days?" Belle questioned sitting down on the chair he offered and removed her notebook and pen from her bag.

"I used to be A star student." Albert shrugged his shoulders dragging his books across the table and opened one of book to the marked page.

Belle pulled a face at him. "Used to be? Why let them slip so much?"

"It's the only time my parents actually talk to one another." Albert admitted leaning back into his chair. "Other than moaning at each about me, they never speak."

"Albert, trust me, I can tell you that letting your grades drop, so they'll talk, will not help you or them." Belle told him and reached out to his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm just tired of hearing them yelling at each other, when I'm not in the room." He confessed dropping his gaze to his hands in his lap, where his fingers duelled. She bit her lip, unsure where she should take this conversation. Understanding was easy. Belle had been there. Thinking if she got the best grades in school then it would mean something to her father and make things better. It had only taught her it meant nothing. Her father, and Albert's parents, would always be stuck in their rut, whether that was fighting demons or each other. Albert had to do this for himself, as Belle had.

"Okay," Belle drew his attention whilst she placed her notebook and pen on the desk. "Let's try a different tactic then."

"What?" He blurted at her. The confident young man that had greeted her downstairs was gone. As she looked at him, she could see the small child watching his parents arguing.

"We'll work at your grades and give them something else to talk about." She suggested as she held back the urge to hug him.

Albert thought about it for a minute and then nodded his head at her. They shared a smile at each other as they huddled closer together, ready to make a start. Belle listened as Albert went through the assignments he had for homework. It was nice to be home, back in the comfort of studies.

"Right, Albert, as this one" Belle had started to say, but was interrupted when Albert touched her hand and said. "You can call me Al or Bae."

The small gesture warmed Belle's cheeks. "Okay, Bae." He smiled at her. "This one first." She said pointing to one of his assignments.


	6. Chapter 6

Everything fell into a routine. During the week, Belle would work the morning in her father's shop and would meet Albert in the afternoon, either at their house or at the library. The more time they spent together, the more Belle felt Albert was more than a student to her. He was a friend. It was so easy to talk to him, both sharing fond and painful memories with each other. They had a lot in common, which made time go by too quickly when she was tutoring him. She had been tutoring him for nearly a whole month, but it felt like a lifetime.

Nearly every day she wore a smile, relishing in the thought that she was helping someone and dipping her toe into one of her dreams. Teaching was definitely the path that Belle wanted to take, but she was content with tutoring Albert. The only thing standing in her way was always her major hurdle: money. Belle knew she would never be able to become a qualified teacher, as she could never afford to go back to college. At least she got a taste of the forbidden fruit.

Belle flicked through the account books for the business, staffing the counter in the front of the shop whilst her father was out getting stock. Things at home were still strained. They were talking, but avoided talking about what she had told him. It was probably for the best that they never spoke of it again. She could see her words had affected him. The business accounts were starting to look healthier and the rent money was ready for Mr Gold in an envelope under the counter. It gave Belle peace of mind. Knowing the next time she spoke with Mr Gold, she would not have to get her father out of trouble for not having the rent.

Since they had made their deal, she had not seen him around town. She had thought that she would have bumped into him at the house at least once, but he always seemed to be working late. Who would have thought that the local pawnshop would be so demanding?

There was a bang at the door to the shop, which startled Belle from her musings and the account books to look up to the door. She could hear him grumbling as he entered the shop, glaring at the door while he shut it a little harder than necessary. Staying by the door, he combed a hand through his short hair and pulled at his overcoat, his focus still on the door. Belle could not help the amuse look on her face, watching him turn away from the door to face her. The step he tried to take halted, causing him to stumble forward. He closed his eyes grumbling to himself as Belle stifled a giggle into her hand.

Composing himself, Mr Gold sauntered over to the counter and calmly placed his hands onto the glass counter. "Good afternoon, Miss French."

"Mr Gold," Belle greeted. "Having problems with the door?"

"Yes… Well…" He turned his head to look at the door over his shoulder and turned his attention back to her. "It seems your door has a thing against me."

She smiled broadly at him and chuckled at the image of the door beating him. The corners of his lips twitched, trying to tug his lips into a smile. They stood there looking at one another. Slowly her smile left her face, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutinising gaze. His face showed no emotion, the twitching of his lips had stopped, whilst he stared at her.

No longer able to take the uncomfortable silence, Belle said. "Is there something I can do for you, Mr Gold?"

"Oh… Yes, sorry." He said shaking his head and began playing with the ring on his right hand. "I came to collect the rent."

Acknowledging with a nod of her head, Belle reached under the counter and retrieved the envelope, giving it to him over the counter. "Five hundred dollars."

"Really, dearie?" Mr Gold stunned took the envelope and counter the dollars inside of it.

"Yep." Belle gleefully said to him.

He shoved the envelope into the inside pocket of his overcoat, turning away from her as he said. "Nice for it to be on time for once. Seems your presence is changing your father." He paused with his back to her before turning back to her. "Thank you by the way."

"What for? The rent being on time?" Belle giggled shaking her head at him as she looked down at the account books.

"No," His hand came to rest on top of her hand on the counter; her eyes darted from their hands to his face, which was now very close to her. "Thank you for helping, Albert. I got a report from the school yesterday, showing all his grades are getting better."

"Oh… Good." Belle forced herself to speak, to say anything to him, while his eyes held her captured. She had never noticed the soulfulness of his eyes before. The only windows into the hurt and warmth of his soul hidden behind his mask. She swallowed the lump in the back of her mouth, absently licked at her lips. His gaze dropped to her mouth and back to her eyes.

"Belle!" Her father called from the back of shop. The spell was broken over her, snapping her head round to look to the doorway of the back room for her father. The warmth of his hand withdrew from hers. The lost made her turn back round to find Mr Gold retreating through the door, closing it soundly behind him. She watched him through the window in the door, standing on the other side of the door with his back to her.

Her first impression of him was crumbling. Slowly she was beginning to see there were more layers to Mr Gold than she had expected. He was breaking the stereotype image in her head of a debt collector. They were heartless, uncaring of people's situations as long as they got what they wanted. Beasts! However, twice now she had seen something, hidden beneath the surface of the beast. Whatever it was, she could not put her finger on it but watching him walk away and out of sight, Belle found herself wanting to find out what it was.

"Belle!" Maurice bellowed from the doorway of the back room, making Belle fall off her stool and stumble against the counter. "I've been calling you!"

"Sorry, I'm coming." Belle mumbled looking back to where he still ghostly stood outside the door. What was happening? Why was she so interested?

Holding her hand to her forehead, Belle followed her father into the back of the shop, trying to convince herself that she was running a temperature. Her forehead was normal, but the palm of her hand was sweaty. She frowned lowering her hand from her forehead to puzzle over her palm. Never had she reacted like this. She had to be ill. It was the only explanation.

"Belle!" Maurice shouted holding a box towards Belle, stood in the back of his van. Hurriedly rushing through the open back door, Belle took the box from her father to take into the back room of the shop. She decided to leave her thoughts and concentrated on helping her father. The feeling in the pit of her stomach would not go away though.


	7. Chapter 7

Albert had a big exam next week and wanted Belle to help him revise over the weekend, hence why she climbed the steps to their porch at ten in the morning on a Saturday. She shifted the weight of her bag on her shoulder and pressed the doorbell. As she waited for the door to open, Belle glanced over her shoulder to the black Cadillac in the driveway. It was the first time she had been to the house and there was evidence of him being home.

Since their encounter in her father's shop, Belle could not stop thinking about him as if he was a novel that she could not put down. Hungered to find out what happened at the end. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. She wanted to find out every small detail about him, delve into the dark pools of his eyes and lose herself to him. The feeling scared her and thrilled her at the same time. Belle had never felt this way about anyone, not even Gaston. She had loved him, but she had never felt an attraction, a physical pull, to him as she did Mr Gold. With Gaston, it had been 'this is what I'm supposed to do'. Girl meets boy, they date, and they become a couple. However, with Mr Gold, the story was starting with girl meets man.

The sound of the door opening behind her brought her back round to face the door. Belle's hand clenched at the strap of her bag and hard-pressed her lips into a tight line to keep herself grounded, with the subject of her thoughts in front of her. It was the first time she had seen him dressed casually.

"Oh, Miss French!" Mr Gold greeted her and swept his hand to gesture her to come in. He moved away from the door, turning his back to her, and allowed Belle to take him in from the doorway. His blue jeans decorated in dabs of different coloured paint hugged his hips, the ends of the legs dragged on the floor as he walked. She closed the door after entering the entrance hall, her breath hitching when he placed his hand on top of the bottom newel of the staircase, lifting his white t-shirt up to show the waistband of his boxers that peeped up from the waist of his jeans.

"Albert!" He called up the stairs. "Miss French is here!" A distant shout of 'I'll be down in a minute' came from upstairs. Belle swept some hair behind her ear and bit her lip as punishment, trying to control her thoughts. Her hands wanted to explore the skin he had exposed.

"Would you like a drink or anything, Miss French?" He asked dropping his hand from the end of the banister and turned to face her, his t-shirt dropped to cover him.

Belle's eyes widened at his question, her mind wandering elsewhere at 'anything', before she answered him. "Water would be nice."

A quick nod and he was off to the kitchen. Absently Belle followed behind him, dropping her bag at the bottom of the stairs as she passed, and entered the kitchen to watch him wash his hands. Seeing him in the privacy of his home, relaxed and out of the armour of his suit, put him in a different light. There were no traits of the debt collector, who had threatened to take her father's truck and demanded money from them. This was Albert's father.

Belle took a stool at the breakfast bar and observed him in the kitchen with her fingers nervously fighting. He dried his hands on a towel before opening a head height cupboard to retrieve a glass. A flash of the waistband of his boxers made her divert her eyes away from him. The tease knotted her stomach and trapped the butterflies. She held a hand over her mouth, shocked at herself and her thoughts. The last time she had felt like this, was when she was opening the acceptance letter to college.

"Here you go." He said placing a glass of water and a half-full bottle of water in front of her on the counter. Smiling her thanks at him, Belle grabbed the glass and gulped the water down hoping it would still her stomach and distract her. Mr Gold wore a perplex look on his face, witnessing her finished the water in the glass and poured more into the glass from the bottle.

He shook his head turning away to go to the open patio doors. "Guess you were thirsty then."

"Yeah," Belle replied wiping her mouth after finishing the water and watched him shove his socked feet into a pair of sneakers. "Must have been."

"Albert will be down soon." Mr Gold told her over his shoulder, leaving her in the kitchen for the garden. With him gone, Belle sighed heavily down at the counter, resting her forehead into the palm of her hands, her elbows supporting the weight of her head. She did not understand. What had happened? A month ago, she would have happily slapped him and told him where he could shove his money. Now… She did not know what she would happily do to him. Belle could not bear to think about it.

Belle was not naïve. She had fantasied about people before, famous or acquaintances, but… This was different. This was not just mental. It was mental and physical. Her fingers wanted to play with that sneaky waistband of his boxers. Pull his short greying hair. Taste the skin at the nape of his neck. She wanted to feel him against her, holding her steady as he assaulted her with his hands, his fingers… his mouth. Belle slumped further down onto the counter, feeling lost in thoughts and emotions.

"Belle." Albert called for her. Hearing his voice, Belle bolted up straight on the stool and turned to see Albert come into the kitchen from the entrance hall.

"Hey, Belle." He smiled at her before gesturing towards the staircase. "Ready?"

"Yep, right behind you." Belle told him slipping off the stool to follow him. Albert disappeared off around the corner and she could hear him run back up the stairs. As Belle entered the entrance hall, she glanced over her shoulder to the patio doors. Mr Gold was knelt on the ground with his back to the door. His white t-shirt had ridden up his lower back, baring his lower back and waist of his jeans. She bit her lip and turned away before her thoughts could run away from her, and collected her bag from the bottom of the stairs.

Racing up the stairs, she entered Albert's room and took a seat on the swivel chair beside him. He had already laid out some of the textbooks and his notebooks they would need. Belle dropped her bag to the floor and took the piece of paper that Albert offered out to her.

"That's the list of things we've been told to revise." Albert informed her, sitting back against his chair.

Briefly, she scanned the piece of paper, glad for the distraction. "A lot of this we've already gone over, so this should be easy."

"Famous last words." He replied with a smile and leant forward onto his desk. They went through the list and revised the sections the list had indicated. Belle enjoyed tutoring Albert. He made it so easy, listening to her and questioning her about different subjects. She was secretly grateful that Albert had ruined his grades, giving her the opportunity to help him and experience what it may be like to teach.

When he had told her why he had let his grades slip, it had pulled at her heart and made her sad that he thought he could influence his parents into talking. From the things he had told her, Belle got the impression, things had been hard and confusing when he was younger. He had told her about watching his mother leave his father and the altercation outside on the front lawn. When Albert had told her, she did not know which was worse, a child watching their mother walk away from them or a child watching their mother wither away in a hospital bed. At least the latter meant there was no choice behind leaving their child. What Albert's mother did to him, and Mr Gold, was unbearable. It may have been that shared memory, which had softened Belle to Mr Gold. Understanding the hardness of his demeanour.

Her phone in her pocket beeped signalling a text. She pulled her phone out of her pocket whilst she pointed at a paragraph in the textbook in front of Albert. With a flick of her thumb across the screen, Belle unlocked her phone and opened the app for her text messages.

' _Hey Belle! Ladies night, 8pm, Rabbit Hole. Ruby'_

Smiling at the message, Belle replied with an acceptance and shoved her phone back into her pocket. She had been out a few times with the girls, glad for an escape from the troubles of daily life. The girls were more than willing to listen to Belle moan about her father and the trouble they had with debts. Mentioning debts had allowed a floodgate to open at their table, with everyone sharing their annoyances about Mr Gold. Ruby had been the only one to defend him, trying to explain to everyone that Mr Gold was not as bad as he made out.


	8. Chapter 8

The bar heaved with people as Belle entered, her clutch purse wedged under her arm whilst she pulled at the sleeveless blue blouse she wore. Pausing in the entranceway, Belle scanned the bar for the girls and spotted them in a booth. She excused her way to the girls and smiled when they greeted her as she claimed the nearest empty stool for herself. Belle placed her purse onto the table and adjusted her blouse over her chest, consciously worrying that she may be revealing too much.

"What'cha drinking?" Ruby asked shuffling pass Mary-Margaret, leaning forward onto the table.

Belle reached to her purse and opened it to get some money as she said. "Oh, rum and coke, please."

"No, no. I'll get this one." Ruby told her and patted Belle on her shoulder as she passed her to go to the bar.

Shifting in the seat, Mary-Margaret turned to face Belle. "How's you?"

"I'm good, thanks. Shop is going well now. Didn't have to help with the rent." Belle replied to her question and then added. "How about you?"

"Apart from wanting to pull my hair out over my daughter, I'm really good." Mary-Margaret beamed a put on smile before slurping from the straw in her drink. Sensing there was more to the story Belle pursed her lips and looked round to see where Ruby was with her drink. She was not comfortable with exploring further into Mary-Margaret's story without Ruby being there. As much as they had all met previous, Belle did not feel she was close enough to Mary-Margaret to pry further into her story.

As if Ruby felt Belle's unease, Ruby appeared with Belle's drink and with Ashley beside her, sipping at the cocktail in her hands. Belle smiled her thanks when Ruby placed her drink in front of her and drank from it as they others slid into the booth. Thankful for the sweetness of her drink, Belle leant forward onto the table and listened to the girls, waiting for a moment to join in.

"It's so nice to get out of the house." Ashley stated to everyone, placing her glass on the table.

Ruby smiled at her. "All those babies, I don't know how you cope with your own and everyone else's."

"Ruby, it's not that bad." Ashley said touching Ruby's forearm.

"No," Mary-Margaret interjected making everyone look at her. "Wait till they're teenagers and have opinions. Then you know it's bad."

"Emma's lovely." Ashley declared reaching for her drink and took the straw of her drink into her mouth.

"Yes, ninety percent of the time, she's lovely. Then she comes home and mopes around the house, slams doors and goes on about how Al doesn't like her." Mary-Margaret proclaimed, gesturing with her hands.

"Al? As in, Albert Gold?" Belle asked with a frown.

Mary-Margaret nodded her head at Belle. "They've always been close. From kindergarten to now, they've always been together and got into trouble together." She chuckled before carrying on. "I remember when they were about ten and they decided to backpack to Al's mother's house."

"Really?" Belle's eyebrows pushed her forehead up.

"I remember that." Ruby exclaimed. "The whole town was out looking for them. Mr Gold found them walking together out of town."

"Yes and he didn't even apologise." Mary-Margaret said with a displeased tone.

"It wasn't his fault that the kids decided to go find Albert's mother." Ashley shook her head at Mary-Margaret's tone. "Kids are kids."

"It would've been nice for him to acknowledge what his son did was wrong. Instead of being the bastard he is." Mary-Margaret confessed to the group. Keeping herself out of it, Belle rubbed her finger over the rim of her glass, concentrating on the action rather than the conversation. An urge to defend him threatened to spill out of her mouth, telling Mary-Margaret to shove something in it and leave him alone. It was not her place. She did not know him, not as they did.

"Hey, talking of Al, how's his grades now?" Mary-Margaret asked, genuinely intrigued.

At the change of subject, Belle looked up from her drink and smiled. "Really good. He's getting B's, but I think by next month he'll be back to A's."

"I wish I could say the same for Emma." Mary-Margaret said with her shoulders slumping. "Since Al's not studying with her, her grades have suffered."

"Hey, Belle, why not tutor Emma as well?" Ruby suggested, looking between the two women. At the suggestion, Mary-Margaret waited expectantly for Belle's response to the posed question. Belle felt trapped. There was not a good reason for not doing it, except trying to schedule it into her day but that would not take much.

"Erm…" Belle mumbled gaining herself some thinking time before she said. "Sure. I don't see why I couldn't."

"Are you sure?" Mary-Margaret reached across the table and laid her hand on Belle's forearm. "It would mean a lot, if you're able to help her."

"Yeah, course I'm sure. I could come by after tutoring Bae." She told her as she lifted her drink to her lips.

Mary-Margaret's fingers squeezed Belle's arm. "Bae? He lets you call him Bae?"

The three women eagerly watched Belle. She felt like she said the wrong thing as she placed her glass back onto the table. The three of them were blatantly staring at her.

"Yeah," Belle said hesitantly to them. "Bae told me to call him either Al or Bae. What's wrong with that?" They shared a look between themselves. It was the first time they had made Belle feel like the outsider.

Ruby leaned forward onto the table. "Nobody calls him Bae."

"Why? What's wrong with calling him Bae?" Belle squirmed on her stool, her unease deepening.

"There's nothing wrong in calling him Bae." Mary-Margaret told her. "It's just… Well… The only person who has ever call him, Bae, is Mr Gold."

"And?" Belle urged them to continue.

"Al doesn't let anyone but Mr Gold to call him Bae." Ruby shook her head to emphasise her point, but with a thought added. "Though, Mr Gold doesn't call him Bae anymore. I can't even remember a time he did, but Granny says he used to call him that all the time."

Ashley joined the conversation after finishing her drink. "If someone's going to know, it would be Granny."

"Why would Granny know?" Belle questioned.

Ruby smiled at Belle. "She used to work for Mr Gold as his housekeeper."

"Granny's Mrs Potts?" Belle said scooting her stool closer to the table, greedy for more information.

"Yep." Ruby replied proudly to Belle.

"So, she saw the aftermath of Bae's mother leaving." Belle stated more to herself than to them.

"Oh, god yeah." Ruby collected her drink from the table and held it in her hand as she spoke. "She had to go round the night she left to collect Al. Granny said in all the time she's known Mr Gold, she's never seen him be aggressive or mean to anyone. The state of the house though…" Shaking her head Ruby took a sip of drink before continuing. "The downstairs looked like a bomb had hit it. Glass smashed everywhere. She said the only room he hadn't trashed was Al's, where he sat playing on the floor."

"I didn't know that." Mary-Margaret said absently, holding her drink pose for taking a drink.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Hence why, I keep telling you that you don't see the real him. See I can remember him back then." Ruby said to them, gesturing to herself. "I would play with Al when Granny was tidying or doing whatever around the house. There were times when Mr Gold would come home from work and play with both of us. If he brought a treat home for Al, he would always bring me one as well. I was never left out."

"That is so the polar opposite to him now." Ashely said before she shifted out from the booth with her purse. "Same again?"

They all nodded at her. Ruby and Mary-Margaret carried on the conversation, discussing how Mr Gold had gone from being kind-hearted to the beast he was today. Belle bit at her lip as she realised what she had seen hidden behind his mask of a beast. She had seen him. The gentle, caring Mr Gold. Knowing that, Belle felt a warmth in her chest and could not help the smile that swept across her lips. The idea of there being more under his dusty cover fascinated Belle to no end, yearning for more information about him.


	9. Chapter 9

Belle stood in the front of her father's shop arranging the flower displays, removing unwanted flowers from the display. Her week was going smoothly, even with tutoring both Albert and Emma; Belle found it was not taking a toll on her. She felt more alive than she had in a long time. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself next step in life would be to become a teacher. That dream seemed a long way off with her surroundings, buckets of flowers and displays of ribbons. She knew this was not her dream and it was not her father's either.

The shop door burst open behind Belle and startled her, causing her to spin round to face the intrusion with a bunch of flowers clutched to her chest. Albert stopped to sweep the shop with his eyes, looking for something, as the door slammed shut behind him. His eyes widened when he saw Belle and quickly stepped towards her, engulfing her into a hug.

"Thank you, Belle!" He exclaimed into her shoulder, bouncing the two of them side to side. Belle giggled nervously into his shoulder, her hands pinned between their chests with the flowers wafting between them. Pulling away from her, Albert began waving a piece of paper in front of her face. She looked between the piece of paper and the grin on Albert's face.

"What for?" She asked tossing the flowers in her hands to the nearby trolley she had been using. Watching the young man bounce from foot to foot, made Belle giggle at him whilst he thrusted the piece of paper towards her.

"Look!" He told her excitedly. Shaking her head at him, she took the piece of paper from him and scanned over it. It was his test paper. In bold red pen, in the top right corner, was a circle with an A plus inside it. Her gaze shot up from the test paper to Albert and back again before she pulled him back into a hug, both of them bounced from foot to foot and turned on the spot.

"Well done!" She told him pulling away from him to look at the paper again. "You did brilliantly, Bae."

"Bae?" A voice questioned behind them. Belle turned around to see Mr Gold standing behind her, his hand holding the door open.

She beamed a smile at him and motioned to the test paper. "He's done really well!"

"Yes, he has." Mr Gold's tone caused the smile to leave Belle's face. "Albert, come on, we're going home."

"But… We were going to" Albert started to say but stopped when his father held his hand up at him. "We're going home. Get in the car."

The happy moment was gone. Albert shuffled pass Belle and took his test paper from her, when she offered it to him. Belle did not miss the glare he gave his father as he trudged by his father to leave the shop, through the door Mr Gold held open. His father on the other hand was openly staring at her.

Belle swallowed watching Mr Gold shut the door to the shop, when Albert had left. His hand stayed on the doorknob with his other hand resting higher up the door. They stood still. Belle was too unsure to do anything else as she watched him, braced against the door. Her eyes roamed up and down his body, trying to figure out what had changed. She was glad he was wearing his overcoat, hiding his body from her view and her wandering thoughts. With his mood being the way it was, her mind was far from fantasying about him. Not when she could see the beast in front of her, his heart cold.

After a couple of minutes, or what felt like eternity, he pushed himself away from the door and turned to face her. There was no expression on his face. Straight and plain.

"I don't think we'll need your services anymore, Miss French." He told her coming to a stop in front of her, a foot between them.

"What?" Belle questioned him, feeling lost in her own home.

"You've held your end of the bargain. My son's grades have improved. The debt your father owed me has been paid in full, so we'll no longer need your assistance." He explained, waving his hand between them as he went from point to point.

She shook her head at him. "There's no way a month's worth of tuition pays an eight grand debt."

"Depends on how much you think your tuition is worth and I think it's worth the eight grand." Mr Gold said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"No, no, no." Belle frowned at him as she bumbled her words out. "This isn't right."

"It is as I see it." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand and turned away from her. Belle stood motionless, mystified by him and not in a good way. How could this have happened? She had done, as he wanted. Albert's grades were getting better. He admitted it. So why did it feel like she was being thrown out of their lives?

"Oh, and Miss French," Belle looked up at him, where he stood holding the shop door open. "Don't call him, Bae. His name is Albert." He told her and left, closing the door behind him. Her eyes widened before closing tightly. What had she done?

She could hear Albert outside, his voice raised as he interrogated his father on the sidewalk. Taking a step towards the window, Belle observed the altercation between Mr Gold and Albert, as Albert demanded to know what was happening. Coldly Mr Gold walked away from his son, his head held high, and straightened his overcoat. They stood either side of the car, conversing over the top of the car until Mr Gold forcefully pointed at the car. Even with the door close, she could hear him order his son to get into the car. Albert relented and yanked the car door open to drop into the car, slamming the door shut.

It was then that she caught the change in Mr Gold's face. His mask dropped. He had a pained look on his face, as if someone had stabbed him in his heart. Belle frowned at him as he wiped his hand down his face, reapplying his mask before he got into the car. Her phone beeped in her pocket, but nothing could take her eyes away from the scene outside the window. Their car pulled away from the kerb with Belle's eyes following it until they were out of sight.

Belle huffed digging her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it to see the text message she had received. ' _Sorry, Belle',_ the text from Albert read. The simple word was enough for the smile to return to Belle's face. She took a deep breath and replied to the text message. As she sent the replied, Belle vowed to herself she was not going to let Mr Gold stand between them. She enjoyed spending time with Albert and it appeared the same for Albert. They were friends. What she did with her time now was her business. If she wanted to tutor him then she would, which is exactly what she told him in text, telling him she would see him Monday afternoon as usual.


	10. Chapter 10

For three weeks, Belle and Albert, joined by Emma, had been meeting at the Gold residence, tutoring the both of them and leaving before Mr Gold came home. The arrangement was working out well with both of their grades improving because of it. Belle found it sweet to watch the two lovebirds, who were oblivious to the other's feelings. She could see it. It was obvious with the way Albert looked at Emma and attentively touched her arm or hand, careful not to hurt her. Although Albert was missing the signs, you could not mistake the signs from Emma, as she stared longingly into his eyes when he spoke to her.

Amused by her thoughts, Belle smiled as she put her car into park and turned off the engine. Collecting her bag from the passenger seat, she climbed out of the car and shut the door while she looked up at the Gold residence. She had not spoken to him since he had dismissed her services. Even going about town, Belle had not seen him anywhere. It was as if he had left town, but she knew he had not due to seeing his Cadillac parked by the shop every day. Either he was avoiding her or bumping into one another had been coincidence.

Hearing the kids calling her, Belle waved to Albert and Emma as they came down the sidewalk and turned to go up the path to the house. Casually following behind them, she could hear them discussing the school dance excitedly. Belle had avoided going to the school dances. At the time, she had thought her time was better off spent on studying, ploughing through books to get nearer to where she wanted to be. Out of her father's home. The thought made her laugh at herself. Four years spent away from home, away from the trouble of her father, and now she was living back under his roof, back exactly where she had started.

Albert and Emma had stopped midway to the front door on the porch and looked at her climbing the steps, laughing to herself. Noticing they were looking at her, she waved their concern away and stifled her laughter. They shared a bemused look between them before Albert unlocked the door and held the door open for them. Belle shook her head at herself, amused with the way her life was working out, and stepped into the house.

"Anyone want a drink?" Albert asked, always the gentleman.

"I'm fine, thanks, Bae." Belle told him, grateful for the offer, and shrugged her denim jacket off to hang on the coat pegs by the front door.

Emma smiled at him, saying. "Coke, please!"

"One coke for m' lady." Albert said with an exaggerated bow. Belle rolled her eyes at the scene as Emma giggled following Albert into the kitchen. She carried her bag into the kitchen and put it down onto the breakfast table, ready for when they sat down to start.

"So, Em," Albert said pulling open the fridge to grab a cold can from inside. "Anyone asked you to the dance yet?"

"Nope. Not yet." Emma responded and took the can he held out to her. Belle stayed quiet, noticing the look on Emma's face as the young woman waited for him to pop the question. The room fell into silence with the two of them gazing at each other. Slowly Belle raised a quizzing eyebrow at them, her own impatience growing at the unsaid question.

"Hey!" Albert said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Did you hear Maddy was asked by Hansel?"

"Really…?" Emma sounded dejected as she turned away from Albert and wandered slowly over to the breakfast table.

Albert shut the fridge door after taking another coke for himself. "Yeah! He told me during football practise."

"Who're you asking, Bae?" Belle asked pulling a chair out from the table and sat down looking at Emma, who sat at the table.

"Me? I… I don't know. I might not even go." He informed them, shrugging the strap of his bag off his shoulder to drop it to the floor.

"Why not?" Emma asked, frowning at Albert as he sat down in the chair beside her.

He pulled a face at her as though the answer was obvious. "I got better things to be doing. Like completing the camos for my shotguns on cod."

Belle's eyes bulged at what Albert said. "What? Camos?"

"Yeah," Albert said his gaze moving from Emma to Belle. "On my game, Call of Duty."

"You would rather spend the evening on your game, than take a girl you like to the dance?" Belle questioned him.

"Well… Yeah. She wouldn't say yes to me. None of the girls would, because who my father is." Albert informed them, gesturing to himself.

Belle shook her head at him. "You should just ask her, you idiot." The clock caught her eye over Emma's shoulder. "Anyway, we better get on with some work. What work do we have today, kids?"

Just as the pair put their bags onto the table, about to pull their work out, the front door banged open and slammed shut, making the glass in the doors shake. The three of them froze at the breakfast table. His footsteps stomped through from the entrance hall into the kitchen and stopped behind Belle. She did not need to turn round she knew who it was. Albert and Emma were both gazing at him, their bodies posed ready for fight or flight.

Mr Gold moved more into the room and into Belle's field of vision. One of his eyebrows was up, creasing the lines on his forehead, as he pulled the tie from around his neck and removed it. He rolled the tie up strolling over to the kitchen counter and placed it down onto it. Ignoring him, Belle motioned to the kids to carry on getting their work out of their bags whilst Mr Gold went over to the fridge and opened it to grab a bottle of water. He turned back towards them, letting the fridge door shut itself, and undid the top buttons of his shirt.

"And what do we owe the pleasure for Miss French's presence?" Mr Gold asked the room, but they all knew the question was to Albert.

"We're… We're…" Albert stuttered.

At seeing the unease of Albert, Belle answered for him. "I'm here for Emma. Her mother has asked me to tutor her and they've got a project they're working on together."

"Really, dearie?" The way Mr Gold said it, made Belle's toes curl up inside her shoes.

Albert turned in his chair to face his father, his arm slung over the back of his chair, and said. "Yes, really."

Mr Gold held his hands up in mock surrender, holding the open water bottle in one of his hands, and started to move out of the room, heading towards the entrance hall. "If you say so."

Hearing his footsteps up the stairs, Emma and Albert let a loud sigh out and began pulling their books out of their bags. Belle closed her eyes and shook her head for a second before choosing to forget about the beast upstairs. She contemplated gluing his mouth shut, so she could appreciate him in silence without interruption. It was ashamed. Even when he had stood in her father's shop, dismissing her, she had found him so handsome in his three-piece suit and overcoat. He was always well dressed and groomed to perfection. Not a hair on his head out of place. Oh, but how she would like to mess with his hair…

"Belle." Emma called and touched Belle's hand.

Belle jumped in her chair. "What?"

They giggled at her before Albert said. "I was telling you about the work and all you did was groan at me."

"I'm sorry," Belle said, feeling the heat in her cheeks. "Tell me again."

After explaining what had to be done, Belle supervised them through what they had to do and told them what other subjects might be interesting to add to their essay. The two worked well together, she noted watching them discuss the subject matter together, one researching on a laptop and another scanning their textbook for crucial details. At certain points, Belle would interject another point, encouraging or discouraging when they were going to broad with their search.

Emma's phone started ringing and interrupted their study. Reaching into her bag, Emma apologised to them and answered her phone. She agreed with whoever was on the other end of the phone and ended the call to pack her things away into her bag.

"Sorry, I didn't realise the time." Emma told them, fastening the flap on her bag. "I should have been home half an hour ago."

"Really? What time is it?" Albert asked turning in his chair to see the clock.

Belle looked at the clock as well. "Wow! It's half past six."

"See you tomorrow?" Emma asked Albert, shoving her chair back under the breakfast table. He nodded his reply to her and watched her leave into the entrance hall. The front door opened and closed. Belle considered Albert as he packed his books into his bag and closed down his laptop. The innocence of not realising what stared him in the face every day.

Catching Belle watching him, Albert blurted out. "What?"

"You're an idiot." Belle told him matter-of-factly.

"I'm an idiot?" He repeated and shook his head smiling.

Pushing her chair out from underneath her, Belle stood up saying. "You know damn well, she wants you to ask her to the dance."

"What? Emma? I can't ask Emma." Albert said getting up from his chair and carried his bag off into the entrance hall.

"Why can't you?" Belle asked moving so she could see him in the entrance hall, putting his bag on the stairs.

"Because… Cause…" He turned to face her and shrugged his shoulders at her. "I can't dance."

Belle could not help herself and burst out laughing at his confession. Pulling a face at her amusement, Albert strutted pass her into the kitchen but stopped when Belle caught his arm, his momentum turned them to face each other.

"Not being able to dance is not a good reason not to ask her." Belle told him, sobering from her laughter.

Albert frowned at her. "Hello! It's a dance. Emma's going to expect dancing."

"We can easily sort that out. Everyone can dance." She informed him taking hold of his hands in hers to place one at her side and clasped the other. "You just need to be brave and not care what people think."

"Everyone will think I'm stupid!" Albert said with his worry evident in his voice.

"No, they won't. Because they'll all be thinking the same thing as you, that they can't dance either." Belle said to him, leading him into a sway from side to side.

"This is stupid!" Albert shouted dropping his hands to his sides and took a step back from Belle.

"Hang on, we need some music." Belle went over to her bag and retrieved her phone. She could hear him grumbling over her shoulder as she went through her phone to find a suitable song. Selecting Gavin James's song Nervous, Belle placed the phone down on the breakfast table and walked over to Albert where he still stood.

"Okay?" She questioned him, taking hold of his hands again to place one at her side and clasp the other. Reluctantly he followed her, still mumbling under his breath that he could not dance. They moved side to side, nice and simple dance. When Albert would look down at his feet, Belle would move her hand from his shoulder to push his head back up. She smiled at him seeing the concentration on his face, the tip of his tongue running along the outside of his upper lip.

She nodded her head at him. "That's it. Just keep your head up." Belle told him. "Now, let's try turning."

His eyes widened before his head dropped down so he could watch his feet. As she lifted his head, Albert missed stepped and stepped onto her toes. At her shriek of pain, Albert immediately jumped away from her and clutched his hands to his chest. A laughter came from the stairs in the entrance hall. She bit her lip at the pain looking up to see Mr Gold entering the kitchen. He had removed his suit jacket and waistcoat, leaving on his dress pants and shirt.

"What are you two doing?" He asked with an amused tone.

Albert scratched nervously at the back of his head. "She… Belle was… showing me how to dance."

"He won't ask Emma to the dance, because he thinks he can't dance." Belle informed Mr Gold, who was throwing his empty bottle into the recycling bin under the sink.

"Pfft." Mr Gold frowned turning round to look at them. "Albert, you can dance. You used to dance with your… mother."

"Dad, that was when I five!" Albert threw back at his father. Shaking his head, Mr Gold came over to them and stopped near Belle. His aftershave wafted towards her, the spicy citrus smell that she had smelt on his business card. She took an involuntary deep breath, satisfying her inner demon to smell him.

"We'll have to show you then." He told his son and before Belle could say anything, Mr Gold had taken her into his arms and laid her hand on his shoulder. "You want to keep a nice space between you." He instructed his son and gestured between himself and Belle, ignorant to Belle's bewilderment. "This is the dance space. You don't go into hers and she doesn't come into yours."

Belle scowled at Mr Gold as he began to lead Belle to move forward and backwards, his attention solely on Albert beside them. "As long as you keep your arms held in the frame, you can't go wrong, son."

"Dad, I can't dance." Albert muttered disheartened.

"Nonsense." He said to his son and startlingly twirled Belle, holding her closer when she crashed into his chest. He carried on moving her regardless and held her hand against his chest, instructing his son in what to do and not to do. Her fingers clenched at his dress shirt on his shoulder to steady her nerve, whilst his aftershave and closeness intoxicated her. This was going to be hazardous to her health.

"Look, if I can dance, you can dance. Isn't that right, Miss French?" Mr Gold asked, finally turning his attention to her. Their movement slowed until they stopped. She risked a glance up at him but could not look away, when she met his dark brown eyes. His face was so close, his lips slightly parted. Under her hand, she could feel his shoulders stiffen and his chest puffed out against hers.

"You two are mad." Albert told them and walked off to go upstairs. As his son had spoken, Mr Gold had jumped away from Belle, his gaze darted between his hands and Belle. He shook his head and staggered off towards the fridge, leaving Belle alone. Her hand tingled where he had been holding it against his chest. She studied her hand, still holding it up where it had rested against his chest.

The fridge door closing made her jump into action. Crossing to the breakfast table, she grabbed her bag and phone. Belle clutched her things against herself and hurried into the entrance hall to snatch her jacket from the coat peg. As she opened the front door, she heard a call of 'Miss French' but chose to ignore it and left closing the door behind her. She paused at the top of the steps and took a deep breath. It felt as if it was the first breath she had taken in the last twenty minutes. Letting it out loudly, she clambered down the stairs and hurried to her car, escaping as the front door opened.


	11. Chapter 11

It was the last Friday of the month, which meant it was the day that Mr Gold did his round to collect the rent. Knowing what the day was, Belle had told her father she would handle the back of the shop, if he dealt with the customers in front of the shop. Thankfully, he had not asked her reasons for wanting to switch and had gone through into the front of the shop. Which was why she sat at one of the workbenches in the back, her ear straining to hear whoever it was whenever someone entered the shop. As much as she restrained herself to the back room, Belle was dying to see Mr Gold, to hear his voice, to smell his aftershave again.

She had felt bad for not saying goodbye to Albert the other day. When they had met the next day, he had not been phased by it. Had not said a word about how she had left. Belle may have been reading more into it then necessary. However, it did not stop the guilt. The guilt for leaving and the guilt for swooning over his father. She was just glad that Albert had not read more into her behaviour as his father had danced with her.

The door to the shop opened. Belle held her breath and listened to her father greeting whoever had entered. The voices were hushed, no matter how she strained to hear, she could not make out what was said. Grunting at her displeasure, Belle went back to sorting through the account books.

"Belle!" Hearing Albert's excited call shocked Belle. She sat up from the workbench and held her hand over her chest, hoping to steady the fast beat of her heart. He came into the room with a spring in his step and bounced to a stop on the other side of the workbench.

"Guess what?" Albert asked her as he rested his hands down on the bench.

Belle smiled at his excitement. "What, Bae?"

"I asked Emma." He said beaming at her.

"And?" She asked him excitedly, leaning forward onto the workbench.

"She said no." He told her letting his smile drop from his face, slumping his shoulders in feign upset.

Belle rolled her eyes at him and tried to swat his arm over the workbench. "Liar!"

Albert laughed and bounced from foot to foot. "She said yes, of course!"

"I told you, you're an idiot." Belle said laughing at him and then asked. "What about dancing though, Bae?"

"Yeah, well, dad's been giving me lessons at home. He's pretty good." He confessed looking slightly embarrassed. The image of Albert and his father dancing together amused Belle, her broad smile evidence of her amusement. Thinking of Albert held by his father's arms, led her to think about them holding her, clutching her tightly to his chest with her hand held firmly in his own. She mourned his touch.

"We're going to New York, so dad can get his new suits and he's going to get me some new clothes for the dance." Albert informed her, fingering the scissors lying on the table.

Shaking her thoughts away, Belle stroked some hair behind her ear as she spoke to him. "Getting booted and suited by pops?"

"Yep." Albert replied. "We're leaving for New York after we're done collecting rent. Dad wants to make a weekend of it."

"We're done?" Belle questioned him, angling her head slightly as she asked him.

He patted the outside of his jacket, where she assumed the inside pocket of his jacket was. "He sent me in to collect your rent, while he went on down the street. Said it would be quicker."

"Did he now…?" She trailed off. Belle was disappointed that she was not going to see him. Albert started telling her about all the places his father had promised to take him, while they were in New York. Any other time she would have been interested in what Albert had to say, but she was finding more and more that she was more interested in what his father was doing. Skulking by the front window, Belle hoped she would see him in the street or in his car driving by. She scanned the diner, the convenience store, through his own shop window, hoping to see him.

Albert huffed. "Yeah, then I'll be going to my mother's next week."

"Your mother's?" Belle tuned back into Albert's musings.

"She called this morning." He told her, picking up an abandoned empty ribbon reel, which was on the table. "She and Killian are going to be back at their house in Storybrooke."

"I didn't realise your mother still lived in the town." Belle said sitting up straighter on her stool.

"She does and she doesn't." Albert said with his head nodding side to side.

"What does that mean?" She asked him, frowning at his comment.

Albert shrugged one of his shoulders at her. "She comes and goes as she pleases. I haven't seen her for six months. They've been at their house in Miami."

"Miami?" Belle repeated.

"Yeah." He said before sighing through his nose. "She probably wants something from dad as usual. She always does this. Turns up, dotes on me for a few days and asks dad for more money."

"That's not fair. I can't believe your dad lets her do that to you." She said flabbergasted by what Albert had told her.

"He hates it. Curses her and gets proper moody when she's in town. But it's like I tell him, I don't get any other time with her." Albert admitted to her, a sad smile tugged at the corner of his lips. At seeing and hearing his sadness, Belle got up from her stool and rounded the workbench to him, dragging him into a hug. She held him tight against her, stroking the back of his head to soothe him. Her blouse became tight with him clutching handfuls of it.

"It's okay, Belle." He mumbled into her shoulder. "I'm used to it."

"Doesn't make it okay, Bae." She told him as she released him from her hug. He weakly smiled at her and nodded. There was a buzz noise before Albert looked down as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He opened his phone and typed something into it to make the phone beep.

"Dad's waiting outside in the car. I'll see you Monday?" Albert asked her as he traipsed to the doorway to the front of the shop.

"Yep, Monday." Belle answered him, nodding her head at him. He smiled at her and then slipped through the doorway, out of her sight. It pained her to see him leave so sad, when he had arrived full of life, almost bouncing off the walls with his exciting news. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, angry with Albert's mother for still hurting him. Never would Belle wish someone's parent dead, understanding that pain too well, but on this occasion Belle could think of no better remedy to the situation. At least it would give Albert the chance to finally move on from his mother, deal with the pain and get on with his life.

Wandering over to the doorway to the front of the shop, Belle could see the black Cadillac waiting by the kerb. She could just make out Mr Gold sat in the driver's seat. It was not long before Albert came into view and opened the passenger door to climb inside to join his father. Mr Gold greeted his son by messing up his hair. Belle could see the genuine smile on his face from where she stood. She smiled at the show of affection as they pulled away from the kerb.


	12. Chapter 12

Belle sat in Grannies at a booth, her bottle of beer nursed between her hands on the table, listening to Ashley and Mary-Margaret rabbiting on about their husbands. Listening to the pair of them moan made Belle jealous, as she had no one to moan about. She did not feel lonely or that she needed a partner. She wanted him. Wanted to be with him. There was so much distance between them. So much so, that Belle did not know where to start. A good place, she thought to herself, would be to know whether he felt the same. She doubted it, as he was so cold, closed off to any sort of interaction with anyone, unless it was to make a deal or were indebted to him. Apart from confronting him and spilling her heart out to him, Belle knew nothing would happen between them. Putting herself out there, again, to be hurt was the problem, as Belle knew it would crush her if he rejected her.

Gaston had been the first serious boyfriend in her life. She had shared secrets with him, told him how she would be always heartbroken about her mother and hated her father for his demons. Giving him all her intimate thoughts and herself had not been enough to satisfy him. A small part of her thought it was her fault, because she concentrated too much on her studies instead of being with him twenty-four seven.

That fateful night when it had all come to ahead, she had decided to go home early, thinking it would be a nice surprise. Only she had found him in their bed with a girl, kissing her passionately. The sight had broken Belle. She had dropped the bottle of wine she had bought on the way home from the library. When they heard the bottle smash on the wooden floor, the two had broken apart. The girl scrambled at the bed sheets to cover herself whilst Gaston jumped out of the bed and quickly retrieved his boxers from the floor to put back on. Belle had ran out of the apartment whilst he had tried to drag her back, excusing himself whilst she cried for her mother.

Sighing heavily at the memory, Belle took a long swig from her bottle, deciding to let it lie before she upset herself. She shifted in the seat of the booth, placing her bottle back onto the table, and went back to listening to Mary-Margaret and Ashley.

"It's annoying." Mary-Margaret stated, her eyebrows pressed down over her eyes. "We've had so many parents say they can't help chaperone the dance next Friday."

"I would offer, but Sean and I are out of town." Ashely said, playing with the straw in her glass.

Mary-Margaret's attention focused on Belle across the table. "Belle?"

"Yep." Belle replied as she picked at the label on her bottle.

"What about you?" She asked with Ashley and her looking at Belle.

"What about me what?" Belle questioned back, pausing with the label half peeled off the bottle.

"Help out at the school dance." Mary-Margaret informed her. "We just need some adults to keep an eye on the kids."

Belle shrugged her shoulders at her before saying. "Sure, why not? I got nothing better to do."

"Thank you, the help is much appreciated." Mary-Margaret said and smiled at Belle. As Belle successfully removed the label intact from her bottle, Ruby dropped into the seat beside Belle, her shoulder knocked into Belle's shoulder.

"Sorry about that, guys." Ruby told them whilst giving a pointed look to Granny, who was on the other side of the counter serving. "Wish I had suggested the Rabbit Hole now."

Ashley shrugged her shoulders at Ruby. "It doesn't matter. It's just nice to be able to hear what everyone's saying."

"I suppose. I just didn't fancy bumping into Doctor Whale at the Rabbit Hole." Ruby informed them, collecting her half-drunk beer from the table.

Belle rose an eyebrow and looked at Ruby beside her. "Date didn't go well then?"

"No!" Ruby snorted, shaking her head vigorously at Belle's question. They all laughed at Ruby's reaction. When Ruby had told her she had a date with Doctor Whale, Belle had conveyed her reservations about it. Nevertheless, as Ruby had told her, 'what did she have to lose?' From what Belle could tell Ruby had not lost much, but she had gained embarrassment.

"He was leering at me, the waitress, at the other women in the restaurant." Ruby counted them off on her fingers. "Either he hasn't been on many dates or he is just that horny!"

Mary-Margaret snorted and choked on her drink, holding her hand desperately to her mouth to stop herself from spitting out her drink. Ashley and Belle laughed, while Ruby sat wide-eyed with her gaze flitting between the other occupants of the diner. A loud huff came from Ruby, not finding any sympathy from her friends, as they carried on laughing. Calming themselves back down, after a venomous look from Granny, the table fell into a comfortable silence as they shared humorous looks between each other.

A small chuckle escaped as Belle spoke to Mary-Margaret. "So, what's Emma wearing to the dance?"

"Oh!" Mary-Margaret smiled proudly. "She's decided on this red dress that comes down to just above her knee. Nothing too sophisticated. It was bad enough trying to get her agree to wear a dress, seeing as she lives in jeans."

"Red's always a good colour." Ruby interjected, motioning to her own red clothes.

"You'll have to take a picture and text it to us." Ashley excitedly said to Mary-Margaret.

"I will! I'll get David to take some when Al picks her up as well. It's going to be weird and exciting, seeing my baby all grown up." Mary-Margaret surmised to them.

Belle started to peel another label off her beer. "Few more years and they'll be off to college."

"I don't want to think about it. It's bad enough that David and I spend our time listening at the bottom of the stairs, when Al and Emma are upstairs. They're kids! We shouldn't have to worry if they're doing things they shouldn't be doing." Mary-Margaret confessed to them, shaking her head at her own behaviour.

Ruby nudged Belle's shoulder and drew Belle's attention to her. "Some people say peeling labels off things is a sign of sexual frustration."

"What?" Belle moved her hand away from the bottle, the label she had been toying with her nail stuck out from the bottle.

"Sexual frustration, hey?" Ashley grinned at Belle over the table, stirring the ice round in her drink with her straw.

"No!" Belle shook her head at them and sat up straight in her seat.

"I've heard that too." Mary-Margaret said after finishing her drink.

Ruby clasped Belle's hand on the table. "We need to find you a man."

"How about Doctor Whale? As you said, he's horny." Ashley managed to say as she laughed. Belle felt the heat in her cheeks and bowed her head to try to hide it. Even while she felt embarrassed, Belle could not help the smile as her friends laughed at her. Ruby knocked her shoulder into Belle's playfully, whispering when she was close, 'don't worry about it'. Sheepishly Belle looked at Ruby through the corner of her eye, her smile widened at seeing Ruby's smile.

"Hey, how about Michael? You know the mechanic?" Mary-Margaret suggested. "He's got two kids, but he's very sweet."

"No." Belle smiled and shook her head.

"What about August, Storybrooke's resident writer?" Ruby said thoughtfully as she lifted her bottle of beer off the table and took a drink from it. Belle shook her head, rolling her eyes at their suggestions. She knew all three men, but they were not him. None of them made her skin tingle as he did when she saw him. They did not have that accent that made her toes curl when it came out thick.

"Ashley, let me out, it's my round." Mary-Margaret instructed after digging her purse out of her handbag. Scooting out of the seat, Ashley excused herself and ambled towards the back of the diner, where the toilet was. Mary-Margaret collected the empty glasses from the table and took them to the counter.

Belle finished the last of her drink as Ruby leaned in to whisper into her ear. "How about Mr Gold?"

She held her hand over her mouth, staring wide eye at Ruby beside her. The smug look Ruby wore unsettled Belle. Was she that obvious? Belle quickly looked around the diner and over the back of the seat to the empty booth behind them, checking to see if anyone had heard what Ruby had said.

"I thought so." Ruby told her and drank the rest of her beer with a smug look on her face.

Belle scooted closer to Ruby. "How?"

"It's the way your face lights up when he's mentioned." She informed her friend. "That day we were having lunch and he came in to get his order, you were drooling into your lap."

"I was not!" Belle cried at Ruby. A couple, in a couple of booths over from theirs, looked over at Belle. Ignoring them, Belle mentally told herself off and reminded herself to keep it down when she spoke again. "I did not."

"You couldn't take your eyes off him." Ruby mumbled to Belle, turning her face so only Belle could hear, when Mary-Margaret returned to the table with their drinks. She handed them out and Belle gladly took hers to gulp down several mouthfuls. Mary-Margaret slid into the seat opposite and smiled at Ashley when she returned, taking the seat in the booth beside her. Ruby titled her head and covered her face with her hand, giving Belle a knowing smile.

"Hey!" Mary-Margaret drew their attention to her whilst she dug into her handbag. "Emma was showing me this snapchat thing the other day. Have you seen it? It's so funny!"

"Isn't that when you can do different things to your face?" Ruby asked distantly, frowning at Mary-Margaret using her phone.

"Get together." Mary-Margaret motioned for Belle and Ruby to move closer. Humouring their friend, the two moved closer together with Ruby putting her arm around Belle's shoulders. Curious, Ashley moved to look over Mary-Margaret's shoulder to see the screen of the phone. The pair glanced at each other before snickering.

Ashley pointed at the screen of the phone. "Can you save that?"

"I think so." Mary-Margaret scrunched her eyebrows together.

"What're you doing?" Ruby asked leaning forward to the table, her arm around Belle brought Belle with her.

"Hang on," Mary-Margaret said and then her phone made a clicking noise. "That's a nice photo of you two." She showed them the screen of the phone, revealing the picture she had just taken. Belle smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, it is. Can you send that to my phone?" Ruby asked sitting back, letting Belle sit back with her.

Mary-Margaret nodded her head. "Course I can."

Belle felt more at ease as they had moved on to talk about snapchat and other similar apps. She clutched her bottle, lacing her fingers around the bottle, and restrained herself from attacking the labels of her new bottle. Knowing that Ruby knew, Belle did not know whether she was happy or not about it. The idea of sharing a secret of that nature with anyone was not easy for Belle. It was a new concept to have friends she could confide in. At school, her only friends had been characters from books and teachers. She would have to wait to see, whether Ruby would use it as a weapon against her. However, Belle had a feeling that Ruby was not like that. She may be the closest thing Belle could call a confidant or even, if she dared to call Ruby such, a best friend.


	13. Chapter 13

*Near the end there is mild swearing*

The dance was starting to get underway with some students arriving early, mingling around the edge of the hall and a few on the dancefloor. Belle stood leaning against the wall near one of the open doorways, watching the young couples enter, excitedly chatting to one another. Seeing all their young faces, Belle reminisced of how much she missed at high school. Too focus on her education to enjoy life. Something she promised herself, she would rectify in the future.

She was keeping an eye out for Albert and Emma, watching between the two doorways for when they entered the hall. Taking her phone out of her bag, Belle pressed a button on her phone to make the screen light up, revealing the clock and her newly selected lock screen picture. As she had laid on bed Sunday morning, reading one of her books, she had received a picture from Albert, a selfie with Mr Gold, with the New York public library as their background. The message with it, 'Too many books for you to read in one lifetime'. Reading his text had made her smile. He knew her too well. The picture was also sweet with both, Albert and Mr Gold, smiling, his father hugged him from behind with his head resting on Albert's shoulder. A good excuse for it to be her lock screen picture.

Belle shoved her phone back into her bag, happily sighing to herself as her fix of Mr Gold was taken care of. Her father had asked her, several times, if she was expecting a call with the amount of times, she had spent checking her phone, clicking the button to see his face. The phone had spent the majority of the week living on the counter beside her, never too far away, so she could light it to see their faces. His face. The only time her phone had been put away, was when she was with Albert and Emma. She had itched to see his face the whole time.

The warm hand touching her bare shoulder brought Belle out of her musings. "Hey, Belle!"

"Hey, you two!" Belle greeted Albert and Emma, leaning away from the wall to take them in. "You two look… so grown up." There was a smell in Belle's chest, seeing these two young adults in front of her. Especially how handsome Albert looked in his new suit. Belle would not have been surprised to find that Mr Gold had bought him a tailored suit, with how well the suit hung to Albert's frame.

"Thank you." Emma replied shyly with a hint of a blush spreading over her cheeks, her gaze flashed between Albert and Belle.

Albert pulled at the lapels of his suit jacket. "I don't know how dad can wear a suit all the time."

"He just likes to look smart." Belle said retrieving her phone from her bag again. "Get together. I want a photo." The two grumbled at Belle, the displeasure of another photo obvious. She smiled at their groan and quickly took the picture, and turned the phone to show them the picture.

"Yeah, looks exactly like the ones my dad and Emma's dad took." Albert dismissed the picture with a wave of his hand and turned to Emma beside him. "Do you want to get a drink first or do you want to dance?"

Emma looked over at the dancefloor and then back to Albert. "Let's get a drink first, Al."

Nodding his head at her, he excused them from Belle and wandered off to find the drinks table, Albert's hand guiding Emma on the small of her back. Belle observed them and leant against the wall again before studying their picture on her phone. She had only known them for about three months, but they were a big part of her life. If she was not with Ruby and the girls, then she was with them, either studying or hanging out at Albert's house.

"Ah, Miss French." His drawl drew her focus up from her phone to him in the doorway. "I didn't realise you would be here."

"Favour for Mary-Margaret." Belle told him, trying to remain cool, while he moved closer to her, his shoulder brushed against her arm. His face turned away from her, allowed her to openly appreciate him beside her.

Mr Gold's gaze was searching the room. "I just dropped Albert and Emma off."

"Yeah, I just saw them." She showed her phone towards him, narrowly turning her attention away from him before he looked at her. "Just took their picture."

"The screen's black." He told her pointing to the phone. While she unlocked her phone, Belle hid the screen from him to avoid uncomfortable questions about the picture, while he carried on talking. "We didn't have dances when I was at school. You know, back in the stone age."

Belle giggled at his joke and turned the phone towards him again. "They look so grown up."

"Yes, they do." He agreed with her. She smiled at him before looking at the picture again, missing his gaze as it went down her body before he turned his head to look at the kids dancing. "You look beautiful tonight, Miss French."

Tearing her eyes away from her phone, Belle scrutinised the blue strapless dress she wore that stopped just over her knee. "Really?"

When she did not hear a reply, Belle turned her head to where he had stood to find he was gone. Frowning she quickly gazed around the room to spot him, but he was gone. She shook her head and leant back against the wall, putting her phone into her bag. Her brow remained pressed down over her eyes as she tried to figure out whether he was actually paying her compliment or being sarcastic. She prayed it was the previous as the butterflies flew around her stomach and feeling stirred further south.

As the night went on, Belle was grateful only a few boys had tried to sneak booze into the hall, confiscating it when they entered. Many of the kids had already left, leaving to go to a house party or home for the night. Clearing the rubbish off a table into the large bin, which Belle was hefting around with her, she watched some kids leaving the hall, smiling and laughing at each other. She smiled at the scene and for the second time that night, wished she had attended more dances at her high school. A memory you could never replace.

"Belle." Albert called from behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder to see him and left the bin by the table she was clearing. "Hey, you! You guys have a good time?"

"Yeah, we did." He told her and then gestured to Emma. "Dad said he was going to pick us up at nine and it's now half nine. He's not answering his phone."

"Oh, really?" Belle rubbed her hands on her dress.

"I'm just glad my mum's here, otherwise she would be grounding me for weeks." Emma said, gazing over in Mary-Margaret's direction.

"Let me talk to Mary-Margaret a second and I'll take you guys home." Belle told them and squeezed pass them to venture over to Mary-Margaret. Getting nearer to Mary-Margaret, she glanced back at the teenagers to see them chatting between themselves. The concern on Albert's face told Belle all needed to know. Something was wrong. Mr Gold was always prompt. He came the same time every last Friday of the month to collect the rent, so she knew this was not like him. If he had told Albert he would be there for nine, he would be there. She turned her attention back to Mary-Margaret and touched her arm when she got near enough.

"Belle! Hey! Thanks again for tonight." Mary-Margaret thanked her, laying her hand on top of Belle's that remained on her arm.

"My pleasure." Belle told her before adding. "Mr Gold hasn't collected them." She nodded towards the kids over her shoulder. "If you don't mind, I'll take them home."

"Yeah, that's not a problem. We've got cleaners coming in tomorrow, so it won't hurt if they've got some actual work to do." Mary-Margaret informed her. Belle smiled and nodded her head at Mary-Margaret before turning on her heels to traipsed back over to the young couple. She gestured for them to follow her and collected her bag from the corner where she had discarded it, and left with them to her car in the parking lot.

The drive over to Emma's house was full of giggles and smiles, as the two told Belle about the impromptu break dance competition that had occurred in the middle of the dancefloor between some of the boys. Albert swore one of their friends might have really hurt himself, when he had dropped down into the splits and had to be helped to his feet by two other boys. She thought it was sad when they neared Emma's house and the giggles subsided. She would have drove round all night to listen to them prattle on about their night.

Parking by the kerb, Belle watched the two of them get out of her car and covertly observed them on the sidewalk. They awkwardly said goodnight to each other. After an uncomfortable minute, Emma started up the path to the house with a quick look over her shoulder at Albert. He began to climb into the passenger seat of Belle's car.

"What are you doing, idiot?" Belle questioned him, her eyes focused on the car parked further down the street.

"What?" Albert asked with a frown.

Belle turned her head to look at him. "Go and kiss her."

"She… She…" Albert muttered but stopped when Belle gave him a stern look and shooed him out of her car. He got out of the car again. As Emma stepped onto the step to the front door, Albert caught her arm and pulled her back, capturing her lips when she whirled round. Belle smiled proudly at him and chuckled at the sight of them. The love soppy look he wore after saying night again and paused to watch her enter the house, made Belle begin to cry at her happiness and amusement of him. He was not even her own son, but she was more proud of him than she had been of anything in her life.

He drunkenly got into her car and put his seat belt on with a smile from ear to ear. Rolling her eyes at him, Belle pulled away from the kerb wiping the tears on her cheeks and drove across town to his house. They pulled up outside of his house to find Mr Gold's Cadillac in the driveway with a red sports car behind it. All the lights were on inside the house.

"Guess he's home then." Belle said turning off the engine.

"Yeah," Albert mumbled and pointed to the red sports car. "That's Killian's car."

"Friend of your father's?" She asked leaning onto the steering wheel.

"No, he's my mother's boyfriend." He told her, gazing at the house.

Belle sensed his unease. "Do you want me to come in with you?"

"I'm not sure… I don't want you to see…" He struggled to speak.

"Hey," She touched his shoulder. "You're my friend, Bae. If you want me to come in there with you, I'll be right by your side."

"Sure?" He asked her, finally turning his head away from the house to look at her. Belle simply nodded her head at him and pulled at the handle of her door to climb out of the car. As they met on the sidewalk, Belle could hear the shouting from inside the house. Some of the apartment buildings she had lived in as a child, it was a common occurrence for someone in the building to be shouting at someone. She just wished Albert did not have to witness it.

Placing her arm around his shoulders, they walked together up the path to the house, the shouting got louder the nearer they got to the house. As they stood on the other side of the door, Belle could hear a woman shouting inside. Albert bowed his head and closed his eyes. The sight saddened Belle. Just moments ago, he was the happiest young man on the planet. The evening would have been a sweet memory for Emma and him. Now tainted by whatever they would face, when they entered the house.

She took the lead and reached for the door handle to open the door. The wider the door got, the louder the voices became. They stepped through the threshold into the house and Belle closed the door behind Albert when he entered.

"I told you! You're not getting anything more from me!" Mr Gold bellowed from somewhere in the kitchen.

"Rum, come on! What's a couple of thousand to you?" The woman shouted back at him. Belle laid her hand on Albert's shoulder, leading him to the opening to the kitchen. They stood together in the opening. A dark haired woman stood with her back to them, her hands clutching at the edge of the counter. Belle's eyes darted from the woman to Mr Gold, who braced himself over the kitchen island, his head hanging low.

"When will you get it through your thick skull?" He growled at the woman. "I am not a bank for you and Albert is not a toy! You play with him and I won't stand for it!"

"He's my son too!" The woman shouted and scampered around the counter to stand in front of Mr Gold to confront him.

When she stood in front of him, he leaped back from the kitchen island, watching her carefully as if she was a predator. "Yes, when you choose it suits you!"

"Oh, come on, Rum." The woman purred at Mr Gold, changing tactic with him, as her finger trailed down the front of his waistcoat. "For old time's sake then. We could… You know, and then we'll talk about the money."

Mr Gold snorted at her and took a step away from her. "Really! You would really stoop to that level?"

"You know you want to." She seductively said to him, taking a step towards him to close the space. Belle gritted her teeth whilst Mr Gold took another step away from the woman. A part of Belle wanted to slap her for making such suggestions to Mr Gold. Another part of her wanted to pummel the woman into the ground, for Albert witnessing the exchange. A glance at Albert beside her, Belle decided to intervene before anything was said that was not appropriate for Albert to hear.

"Excuse me, Mr Gold." Belle called taking a step into the kitchen. At hearing Belle's voice, the woman spun around from Mr Gold. The woman's face was a picture of different emotions from embarrassment to hatred to a feign smile.

"Albert! Darling!" The woman crooned and made her way over to Albert. "Oh, I've missed you!"

As the woman went to touch Albert's face, Albert swatted her hands away and stepped towards Belle. "I don't want anything to do with you."

"What?" She asked confused, retracting her hand to her chest.

"You haven't come here to see me! You just want money!" Albert's emotions began to get the better of him as he spoke. "I don't need you! Belle's more of a mother to me than you! She's here for me! You're never there for me! I call you and you don't answer! Belle answers my calls and texts all the time! I don't need you!"

Albert's pounding feet on the stairs was the only sound in the house before they heard his bedroom door slam. Belle stood nervously in the middle of the kitchen, unsure whether she should stay or leave. She wiped at her eye, cautiously watching the other woman wander over to the bottom of the stairs, absently gazing up the stairs after Albert.

Belle watched wide eyed when the woman spun around, pointing a look towards her. "You!"

"Sorry?" Belle replied as her brow scrunched together.

"You've turned my son against me!" The woman accused, pointing her finger at Belle, coming to a standstill a foot away from Belle.

Belle shook her head at the woman and chuckled. "Me? Oh, no, I didn't do anything. From what I've heard, you've done that all on your own."

"Why, you little bitch!" The woman scathed at Belle and recoiled her hand back behind her. Unbelieving her eyes, Belle watched helplessly as the other woman's hand came towards her, prepared to slap her across her face. She closed her eyes ready and tensed herself for the slap she was about to receive.

"Milah!" Mr Gold shouted. Belle stumbled to the side, knocked out of the way and into the breakfast table, and banged a chair against the centre leg of the table. She opened her eyes to see Mr Gold restraining Milah's wrist in his hand, the pair glared at each other. Slowly Belle moved to stand a safe distance behind Mr Gold, her back pressed into the kitchen counter.

Milah smiled evilly at Mr Gold and then at Belle. "Oh! How interesting!"

"What?" Mr Gold panted at her, his voice deep.

"There was me thinking, you still pined for me. Seems my Rum has a new woman in his life. I just thought you had more class than to be with the help." She told him, looking him dead in the eye.

"Shut up!" He snarled at her. "Get out of my house!"

Milah had a look of surprise on her face, when Mr Gold shoved her backwards into the entrance hall. "Ooo… Touch a nerve, Rum?"

Belle hurried over to Mr Gold, when she saw his shoulders narrow and began stalking towards to his ex-wife, and grabbed his arm by his elbow to pull him back. "Don't! Think of Bae!"

"What did I tell you!" He snapped his arm out of her hold and pointed his finger accusingly at her. "Don't call him Bae! It's Albert! And what the hell are you still doing here anyway! I told you, your debt is paid! Get out!"

"I… I… Erm…" Belle stuttered with her words, dumbfounded by his reaction towards her.

"And you! Get the fuck out of my house!" Mr Gold forcefully told Milah, grabbing hold of her to shove towards the front door.

The laugh that erupted from Milah was pure evil, in Belle's opinion, as the other woman turned to lean against the front door, her hand on the door handle as she spoke. "You definitely have become a cold hearted bastard. You can't even admit it to yourself, can you?"

"GET OUT!" Mr Gold yelled at her, flinging his hand in the direction of the front door. With one last smile at her ex-husband, Milah left the house slamming the front door behind her. He stepped towards the front door, following Milah down the porch steps and over to the car in the driveway through the glass in the door.

Belle could not move. She did not know what to do. She wanted to slap Milah around the face for hurting Albert and his father. She wanted to hit Mr Gold square in the nose for shouting at her. She wanted to grab him and kiss him forcefully, pinning him against the front door. She wanted him to take her into her arms, sweep her off her feet and ravish her body. None of these wants would happen or help matters.

Fear was the last thing on her mind as she stood motionless in his entrance hall. Her anger had gotten the better of her. The only way for her to keep herself from doing something stupid was to count. 'Count to ten', her mother had told her.

Mr Gold shoved himself away from the door and whirled round to face her. "Would you, please, get out?"

Furiously blinking her eyes, Belle turned to follow him as he walked pass her into the kitchen. "Where the hell do you get off talking to me, like that?"

"What?" He questioned her, whipping round to face her, a shocked expression on his face when he saw how close she was to him.

"You have no right to talk to me like that!" She told him poking him in his chest and forced him to take a step back as she moved forward towards him.

"I can talk to you, however I want, Miss French!" He said to her vehemently, his frown deepened looking at her finger pressed into his chest, and stood his ground.

"No, you can't!" Belle said making a start towards the front door, but stopped turning back to face him. "She's right. You're a cold hearted bastard!"

"Why, thank you!" Mr Gold bowed dramatically at her, his arm held out stretched beside him with his other held over his chest.

"Oh, go fuck yourself!" She instructed him and left slamming the front door behind her. Stomping her way down the porch steps, Belle told herself she was never going anywhere near Mr Gold, even if he was the last man alive. She yanked her driver's door open to her car and paused to look up at the house. Her temper subsided as she thought of Albert, sitting in his bedroom on his own, where he was probably crying into his pillow or blaming himself for everything. She shook her head as she ducked into her car and drove away, thinking only of Albert.


	14. Chapter 14

The library was quiet apart from the sound of a page turned in a book. Belle sat at a table somewhere at the back of the library, hidden away from the world outside. The escape of the library had called to her, held its arms wide open to her and engulfed her into its sanctum. A book laid in front of her on the table, begging her to open its cover so she could lose herself in its contents. Her mind was elsewhere, restless from the night before. Belle did not have much sleep, tossing and turning in her bed, wishing she had done things differently, even though she knew she had done nothing wrong.

It was becoming a reoccurring event. She would get close to him and he would push her away. Going over the motions of the night, Belle knew exactly what had been his tipping point, a simple word, 'Bae'. That simple word, Belle considered, was a dagger straight into his cold heart. A reminder of a man, who had been unguarded against the hurt his ex-wife had caused him. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands, her thoughts swirled in her head.

Her phone in her pocket vibrated against her leg. Belle ignored it and remained with her hands on her face, leaning onto the table with her elbows. Normally, she had a plan for what she would do, but when it came to him, Belle was at a lost. Her mind told her he was not worth the trouble. Her heart cried for him, yearned for her to find him and pour herself out to him. The conflict between her head and her heart was making her tired. Being in the safety of her dear friend, the library, Belle was tempted to go to sleep where she was and forget her real life troubles.

Another vibration erupted from her phone. Sighing she dropped her hands from her face and dug her phone out of her pocket to hold it between her hands. The texts she had received lit the screen, but were not enough to cover the picture on her lock screen. Belle swiped her finger and unlocked her phone to access her texts, not dawdling on his picture. First, she opened the texts from Albert.

' _Belle, I'm sorry that dad shouted at you.' 'Belle?' 'Belle, can we talk?'_

Belle stood up from her chair and left the book on the table, and ambled her way out of the library whilst she read the text Ruby had minutes ago sent her.

' _Belle, some guy is looking for you. Came into the diner. I don't like him.'_

As she pushed the library door open, Belle frowned at the text from Ruby, stepping out of the library to the sidewalk outside. Her thumbs tapped a text message out to the Ruby, telling her she would be over to the diner soon. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at herself, as she tried to figure out who would be looking for her whilst she texted Albert, telling him she would be in the diner.

"Belle!" A familiar voice called. Belle looked up from her phone to the man crossing the street towards her. The last time she had seen him was when she collected the last of her things from their apartment. He had pleaded, begged and grovelled, trying his hardest to get her to forgive him and take him back. With a box under her arm and her hand on the doorknob of the door, Belle had told him she never wanted to see him ever again and had left closing the door on him and that part of her life.

"Belle." Gaston smiled at her coming to a stop a couple of feet away, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. "I was looking for you."

Belle frowned at him and shook her head in disbelief. "What the… How the hell… Gaston, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I just want to talk." He told her pulling his hands out of his pockets and held them up in surrender.

"I don't want to talk to you. I told you that." She said, fumbling to slide her phone into her pocket.

Gaston took a step towards her. "Yes, I know what you said. But that doesn't change the way I feel about you."

Her mouth dropped open in shock as she stared at him, astounded by his openness. A chuckle escaped her whilst she turned away from him, heading for the crossing furthest away from him. Belle shook her head forcefully at his words. The nerve of him astonished her. He had ruined her pure idea of what love was, by having a woman in their bed. And here he was, in the middle of Storybrooke, telling her he still felt something for her. It was cruel joke.

Belle swung round to face him when he tugged on her arm, his hand tightly gripped her arm. "Belle, please, I need to talk to you. I haven't stopped thinking about you."

"Haven't stopped thinking about me?" She questioned and tried to snatch her arm out of his hold. "Were you thinking about me, when you were with her? When you were in our bed with her? When you were kissing her?"

"Belle, please! Stop being so stubborn and listen to me!" He urged her desperately, shaking her arm when he spoke.

"I don't want to listen to you!" Belle shouted at him, trying again to break out of his hold but it was useless. His hand was big enough to engulf her arm in his grip, keeping her right where she was.

She struggled again as she said. "How the hell did you find me?"

"Facebook." Gaston informed her. "Olivia from college shared a picture of you and a girl to me. You looked so beautiful, Belle. I knew I had to come and find you. I was so grateful that the girl, who posted it, had tagged your location."

"Picture?" Belle stopped struggling and tried to remember what picture he could possibly mean.

"Yeah, the girl is the one I saw working in the diner." He told her, gesturing in the direction of Grannies. Now she knew what picture he was referencing. Girl's night out, last week. Mary-Margaret had sent the picture to Ruby, who must have put it on her Facebook and tagged Belle in it. When she had received the friend's request, she had not thought anything of it. Annoyance grew at the thought of all the trouble Belle had gone to, to make sure Gaston was out of her life, and a simple picture tagged with her in it had brought him back into it.

A hand touched her upper back, drawing her to look over her shoulder at Albert. "Belle."

"Hey Bae." Belle greeted and tried tugging her arm out of Gaston's hold, hoping with Albert's presence he would release her.

"Belle, we need to talk!" Gaston pleaded with his fingers tightening.

Albert grabbed hold of the wrist that belonged to the hand holding Belle. "Let go of her."

"Look, kid," Gaston said to Albert. "This is between Belle and me. Just run along."

"No." Albert said firmly, stepping towards Gaston to take hold of Belle's arm, which Gaston was holding. "Let go of Belle now."

"Gaston, please, just let go of me." Belle pleaded over Albert's shoulder at Gaston. She could not help as the corner of her lips turned up in a small smile. Proud of Albert's bravery as he tried to stand up for her. It was a sad reminder of how Mr Gold had intervened the night before, saving her from Milah attacking her.

A quick shoulder barge from Gaston to Albert sent Albert falling backwards onto the ground. "I'm not letting you go! I need to talk to you! Let's go somewhere and talk!"

"You okay, son?" Belle heard him talking to Albert before she saw him out of her corner of her eye. "Is there something, I can help you with, dearie?" Mr Gold drawled beside her.

"I don't need your help." Belle grumbled at him, glancing at him over her arm. The sight of him always made her breathless and sent a tingle through her body. He stood beside her in one of his three piece suits, minus his suit jacket. His gaze was not on her though. He was focused on Gaston in front of him.

Gaston pulled on Belle's arm, making her step towards him. "Look, pal, she just told you she doesn't want your help. This is a private conversation with my girlfriend."

Belle laughed. "I don't think so. I'm not your girlfriend." She looked at Mr Gold. "I'm not his girlfriend. He's my ex." Mr Gold showed no sign of registering what she said, but Belle felt as if she had to convince him. She needed him to understand there was nothing between her and Gaston anymore. Even though, a voice in the back of her mind reminded her of the promise she made to herself. 'Never going anywhere near him again', she had promised herself the night before as she left his house.

"Look," Mr Gold mocked Gaston's tone. "Dearie, let her go like my son and Miss French has asked, or you'll regret it."

At hearing Mr Gold's threat, Gaston finally released Belle and stood toe-to-toe with Mr Gold. "There's only one thing I regret. Whatever you have in mind, old man, bring it on."

Mr Gold broke out into a smile. "Oh, I don't need to bring it on, dearie. Little boys like you don't scare me. If you couldn't see, the most precious thing in front of you, when you had it, then you don't deserve it."

"Are you…" Gaston began to say, but turned to Belle. "Are you with him?"

"If I was, it's none of your business!" Belle shook her head at him. She had seen the look on Gaston's face before, when she had closed the door on him when she finally left their apartment. His heartbreak was evident over his face. When she saw the emotion on his face, Belle felt sympathy for him. With what he did to her, Gaston did not deserve it, but… She cursed herself for wanting to see the good in someone, giving people the benefit of the doubt and seeking to help those that needed it. She especially did not want her beast to get hurt.

As Gaston started to whirl around to face Mr Gold, his fist pose to connect with his handsome face, Belle lunged forward and captured Gaston's arm, clinging to it with all her might. Her sudden action surprised not only Gaston, but also Mr Gold, both of them sharing the same puzzled look on their faces. Looking between them, Belle lingered longer on Mr Gold, when there was a hint of something in his eyes, hidden behind his mask.

"Gaston, don't." Belle's voice was quiet as she spoke. The softness of her voice relaxed the muscles in Gaston's arm.

"Belle?" Gaston whispered to her over his shoulder.

Belle closed her eyes for a second and then said to him. "We'll talk. Just… Don't do this."

His eyebrows scrunched down over his eyes while he looked between Belle and Mr Gold. As he was pondering over her change of heart, Belle chanced a look at Mr Gold and their eyes locked in a secret conversation. The man that stood in front of her, coming to her aid was not the man she had seen last night. He was not the one that had ordered her to leave his home. She could see a softness about him, under the gruff exterior he was embodying for everyone else to see.

With Gaston's stance relaxing, the connection between Mr Gold and Belle was broken. "Okay."

"Belle?" Albert's voice was unsteady, his worry coming through his voice.

"Come on, Albert." Mr Gold put his arm out, protecting and stopping Albert moving away from his side.

"Albert," Belle addressed him over Gaston's shoulder. "I will meet up with you later. I promise." The promise eased the tension in Albert, but she could see it did nothing to ease Mr Gold's shoulders. He guided Albert away, using the arm that he had used to protect Albert to persuade his son to go with him. Belle watched as they walked away and crossed the street to Mr Gold's shop.


	15. Chapter 15

They sat quietly across the table from each other, a mug in front of either of them, in the upstairs of Belle's, father's shop. She had heard the constant plead of forgiveness from Gaston, over and over and over again. The sound of his voice had become white noise after a while. His lips were the only thing that kept her attention, while she thought about those thin drawn lips kissing the other woman. As his hands gestured through the air and towards her, Belle considered how his soft hands had smoothed over the other woman's body, knowing the feelings they could invoke deep inside. No matter how she looked at Gaston, it only made her think about that day she had come home early.

To break her thoughts, Belle took a long sip from her mug of tea and placed the cup back down on the table. It had been a couple of hours since the confrontation outside of the library. As she had listened to Gaston's heart felt plead, Belle had wished she had gone with Mr Gold and Albert, so she could thank them for coming to her aid. Her own personal knights.

She knew the only reason that Mr Gold had involved himself was because Gaston had knocked Albert down to the ground. But… There had been something. Behind his mask, Belle could see a glimmer of the kindness Ruby had spoken of in the bar. The good man, who hid behind the protection of his mask. The idea of him hiding himself behind his mask saddened her and in a weird way, intrigued her. There were so many layers to Mr Gold. She wanted to explore each one. Learn everything about him. Something she did not want with Gaston anymore.

With that thought in mind, Belle shifted in her seat before she spoke to Gaston. "I appreciate you came all the way to Storybrooke, Gaston. And I'm grateful for the apology. But…" She gazed across at him, pausing when she saw the hopefulness in his eyes. "I've moved on. I don't love you anymore."

"Belle, couldn't we just try? Let me take you on a date or two." He said and reached his hand across the table to try to touch hers.

"Gaston, listen to me, I don't want this." She told him and leant forward onto the table to support her head, resting her forehead into the palm of her hand.

"Don't throw away those two years we spent together!" As he pleaded with her, the fingers of the hand he reached out to her, pressed desperately into the surface of the table.

Belle took a shaky breath before she looked him square in the eye. "I'm not the one, who threw what we had away. You did. And you will have to live with it."

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped and closed his mouth, when they both heard footsteps coming up the staircase. Letting her gaze go over Gaston's head, Belle watched her father appear from the stairs, with two grocery bags clutched tightly to his chest. Maurice stopped, his eyebrows raised up his forehead, taking in the picture in front of him. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he hurried over to the kitchen counter to deliver his bags of groceries.

"Gaston!" Her father's voice was full of excitement. "Belle, why didn't tell you me, he was coming to visit!" Belle closed her eyes as her father and Gaston greeted each other with a manly hug, patting each other on the back. The two of them had always gotten along like a house on fire, whenever they had gone to visit her father for the holidays and special occasions. The bond her father had forged with Gaston was one of the reasons, she had never told him, why they had broken up.

The other reason, he was not her mother. When Belle had left their apartment that day, she had only wanted to talk to her mother. Belle had wanted nothing more for the last fifteen years than to have one last conversation with her mother. No one could soothe her as her mother did. Calming her as she cradled Belle's head to her chest, shushing the nightmares or worries away. She did not have the same connection with her father. There were too many bad memories for her to ever go to him. Too much resentment.

"Belle, do you want some more tea?" Her father asked, reaching for the empty mug in front of Belle on the table.

Belle shook her head at her father. "No, thank you."

"You're spending too much time daydreaming, young lady." Maurice informed her and took her mug from the table. "You should concentrate on things that are actually in front of you, Belle. For instance, this young man who has travelled all this way to see you."

Her father's words annoyed her. She bit her lip to keep herself from saying something she would regret. The two men chatted away as if no time had passed. Belle clenched her hands into fists on the table. She wanted a hole to swallow her up and take her away from her misery. Take her somewhere that made her happy. Somewhere her heart wanted to be.

Thinking about them, Belle slid her hand into her pocket and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She quickly unlocked her phone and began writing out a text to Albert, asking him where he was. Her eyes wandered over to where her father was telling Gaston how the business was doing well and it was all down to Belle helping him. The smile Gaston showed to Belle made her want to be sick. The whole situation made her feel sick. Her phone buzzed in her hands drawing her attention back to her phone.

' _I'm at Grannies with Emma.'_

As she read his text, Belle smiled and pushed her chair out from underneath herself. Crossing the room to the couch, Belle locked and pocketed her phone whilst she grabbed her denim jacket off the back of the couch.

"Where're you going?" Maurice asked.

With her jacket halfway up her arms, Belle turned her head to look at them. "I'm going out."

"What? But, Gaston is here to see you." Her father motioned towards Gaston beside him.

"I've got nothing further to discuss with Gaston." Belle directed it to Gaston, pointing her gaze towards him. He bowed his head with a sigh as Belle turned away from them and shrugged her jacket onto her shoulders, flicking her hair out from under her jacket. As she pulled her jacket around her, Belle felt a gentle hand on her forearm and looked to see her father stood beside her.

"Belle, come on." Maurice smiled briefly over at Gaston before turning back to Belle. "We'll rustle up some dinner and we can talk like we used to, when you two used to visit."

"Father, never can we talk like we used to." Belle scowled at her father, feeling irritated by her father and Gaston.

"Why can't we?" Her father asked.

Belle lowered her head for a second, shook her head, before telling him. "Because things change, father. What we once had, is gone. I thought I wasn't good enough for him once, but now I know he wasn't good enough for me. If he could throw away what we had and fuck some other girl, then he isn't the man for me."

She observed, as she spoke to her father, her father's brow press down over his eyes, his gaze went over to Gaston and back to her. The silence hung heavily in the air. Belle did not know what to expect her father to do with the new information. The bookworm side of her wanted her father to jump into action and pummel Gaston for hurting his baby girl. The real life her knew it would not happen. The idea of her father standing up for her was a fairy tale. She had more chance of seeing a pig fly.

Especially as she saw the turmoil in her father's face as he spoke to her. "Belle, being in love in never easy. There are dark sides to everyone. You can't expect it to be perfect. You have to forgive, but you don't have to forget. Give him another chance, Belle. He made you happy once."

"Are you serious?" Belle backed away from him towards the stairs.

"Your mother would've told you the same thing, Belle." Maurice began, already stirring Belle's temper. "I know I have my demons and you're mother was a saint to forgive me. But that's what you do when you love someone. You forgive them no matter what."

"No, you don't!" She said with her tone stern. "You're supposed to love each other no matter what, but you don't abuse it. You don't constantly keep messing it up, relying on forgiveness to make up for your weakness. I know love isn't perfect. I had you and my mother to show me that."

"Watch your tone, young lady. I don't know what's come over you and I don't like it. Ever since you started tutoring Albert Gold, you've…" Belle interrupted her father at hearing Albert's name. "Maybe! Maybe I'm just so tired of taking your crap, like my mother did!"

Her words hit exactly where she wanted to them to hit. His eyes told her, she had hurt him and hurt him deep. Any other time, she would have apologised or made a small gesture of affection towards him. Not now. In that moment, she understood him more than ever. Understood why he choose to put up the mask and hide himself away from people. It felt so much better to attack, rather than defend yourself or take it lying down as her mother. A weakness love had instilled in her strong mother. Thinking of him, it gave Belle the strength to stand up for herself.

Clutching her jacket closed, Belle descended the stairs into the shop below and left through the front of the shop, slamming the door shut behind her. As she began to make her way up the sidewalk towards Grannies, she let out a long sigh and tried to leave her temper behind her. She would not let them ruin the rest of the day or her weekend. Belle chuckled to herself thinking about the night before and her morning, as she came to a stop at intersection crossing. It seemed to be ex weekend in Storybrooke.

Belle crossed the intersection and turned into the outside area of Grannies, finding Albert and Emma chatting at one of the tables. All her annoyance faded as she watched them together, their hands held together on the table as they smiled and laughed together. The innocence of young love warmed Belle's heart and made her jealous of them, longing for the same connection they shared.

She smiled brightly at them, making her way through the tables to take a seat at the table with them. "Hello, lovebirds."

"Belle!" Albert jumped in his seat at her voice. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, no, Bae. I'm okay." Belle waved a hand at his concern.

"You promise? 'Cause Dad has promised if he's hurt one hair on you, he's going to kill him." Albert informed her, leaning over the table towards her.

Belle shook her head at him in disbelief. "Don't exaggerate! I'm fine."

"He's not exaggerating." Emma joined the conversation. "I was there. He was saying it as I came into the shop. He nearly hit me with a tea cup."

"What?" Belle asked, frowning at them across the table.

"Yeah… I don't know what came over him. He was going on about being weak and that he should have punch your ex. That was when he started throwing the tea set." Albert told her, his face showing his displeasure of what he had witnessed.

"Oh…" Belle muttered at the image in her head.

Albert folded his arms onto the table. "The tea set is the lease of our worries at the moment. After you left last night, I came downstairs to watch him throw a chair through the patio doors."

"I think your dad needs to go and see Doctor Hopper again." Emma suggested to Albert and took a slurp from the straw in her drink. The two shared a look between them, whilst Belle stared down at the table, thinking about Mr Gold. Hearing him go to the extreme, made Belle dread Albert witnessing his father's behaviour. A small part of Belle was breathless at the idea of him taking his anger out on something. His strong feelings needing a release, any kind of release, whether it was smashing up a room or belittling someone. Her thoughts strayed to another release for his temper. A fierce, passionate exchange of needing hands, hungry lips and an insatiable need of ecstasy.

She left her thoughts to trail off, calming herself with a deep breath before she spoke to Albert. "Where's your father? At the shop?"

"No," Albert shrugged his shoulders at her. "He's gone to the poker game at Mr Hatter's house."

"Ah, 'kay." Belle nodded her head at the new information. "So what you guys doing this evening?"

"I got a family dinner. Going to be so boring." Emma told them, rolling her eyes at the thought.

Albert had a lost look on his face. "And I get to spend the evening on my own."

"Hey! Why don't we get some movies and popcorn, and have a movie fest at your house." Belle suggested as she reached across to touch his shoulder.

"Sure?" He asked her and Belle nodded her head at him.

They chatted a while longer until Emma had to leave to go home and get ready. Leaving Grannies, Belle hooked her arm around Albert's shoulders, asking him what movies he wanted to watch as they headed to the convenience store. The idea of going home to her father and Gaston did not appeal to Belle. None of that mattered though, while she chatted happily with Albert. She knew in that moment, her troubles meant nothing, listening to the sweet boy beside her laugh. The boy she wished was her own.


	16. Chapter 16

Belle sat watching the end of the film with Albert asleep at the other end of the couch, hugging a cushion to his chest. She was so enthralled with the film; she had not noticed it was nearly eleven o'clock. As the credits began to roll up the television, Belle used the remotes to turn off the DVD player and the television, plunging the living room into darkness. Scooting off the couch, Belle collected their glasses and the empty popcorn bowl to take them into the kitchen. Her footsteps were soft on the wooden floor, padded by her socked feet.

Entering the kitchen, Belle could still not believe the state of the patio doors. Two large pieces of wood were nailed to the exterior of the doors, hiding the state of the doors from the prying eyes of their neighbours. Both doors were missing the framework that had separated the twelve panes of glass, leaving only shards as evidence of their existence.

She placed the glasses and bowl into the sink, leaving them to return to Albert in the living room. Belle heard the lock of the front door click, making her stop in the kitchen, her hand steadying her on the counter. The door opened and closed, his shoes clicking on the wooden floor. Belle frowned, hearing his distant humming from the entrance hall, deducting he must have won at poker or was in a very good mood. Edging forward, she leaned to see him in the entrance hall, shrugging off his suit jacket to hook onto the end banister of the staircase, whilst he kicked his shoes off. His back was to her as he did this, with his attention directed into the living room, both of them hidden in the darkness of the house.

"My sweet boy," He said with a sigh. "I think your father is getting a bit old to carry you to bed these days." Her eyebrows rose at his words, taken aback by the softness in his voice. The shadow of him disappeared into the living room with his hands reaching up to his tie. Belle remained in the darkness of the kitchen, steadying her breathing so she could hear him moving around. Her heartbeat thumped in her ears, almost drowning out the sounds of his movements.

"Albert." She heard him say softly and paused, waiting for a response. "Albert." There was another pause. "Bae."

"Dad…" Albert mumbled sleepily to his father.

"Come on, son. Go to bed." Mr Gold instructed. The couch groaned with the weight shifting off it. She could make out their shadows as they entered the entrance hall from the living room before Mr Gold flicked the light switch, flooding the entrance hall with light. Albert was stumbling towards the stairs with Mr Gold at his side, guiding his son with a hand on his shoulder and one at his side.

"Night, Belle." Albert called trudging up the stairs. Belle's eyes widened. She could hear Albert still making his way upstairs, leaving his father at the bottom of the stairs. He had stopped with his foot on the first step, staring at her in the kitchen, illuminated by the traces of light from the entrance hall. Watching him, he took his foot off the step and stood in the opening to the kitchen, his necktie hanging loose around his neck. Just seeing him standing there, his features hidden with the light behind him, made her want to lose herself. There was deep urge inside of her to run to him, kiss him, clutch at his tie to draw him deeper.

Mr Gold shoved his hands into his pockets and ambled into the kitchen. "I take it, Miss French, your boyfriend behave himself?"

"He's not my boyfriend. I told you that." Belle told him firmly. "And, yes, he behaved himself."

"Good, I'm glad." He said before the lights in the kitchen came on, his hand lingering near the light switch. Nervously Belle bit her lip, unsure of the look he had on his face. There was no emotion shown by his face or his eyes, as he moved around the kitchen to collect the kettle from its stand to fill at the sink. Belle was not sure what he was glad about. Was he glad she didn't have a boyfriend or that Gaston behaved himself?

"Tea?" He asked holding the kettle under the tap, his hand posed ready to turn the water off. His hospitality unsettled her as she turned to see him place the kettle on its stand and pressed the button to set it to boil. He reached up and opened a cupboard to collect a cup from inside to put on the counter in front of the kettle. As he reached back into the cupboard, Mr Gold angled his head to see her over his shoulder, waiting for an answer to his question.

Belle shrugged her shoulders at him. "Sure, why not."

Collecting a cup from inside the cupboard, he began opening the containers near the kettle, preparing their cups with teabags. "Sugar? Lemon? Milk?"

"Just as it comes. Thank you." Belle told him, leaning back against the counter, her hands clutched at the edge of the countertop.

The kettle clicked, the only sound in the house. He poured the hot water into the cups and placed the kettle on its stand. Stirring her cup as he carefully turned around, Mr Gold set it onto the kitchen island and beamed a smile at her, gesturing at the cup for her to take. He did not wait for a thank you and headed to the fridge. Collecting her hot cup from the island, Belle cupped it between her hands, watching him retrieve the milk from the fridge to tip a small amount into his cup. He put the milk back into the fridge as Belle pinched the teabag in her cup, bobbing it up and down into the hot water.

Mr Gold strained his teabag against the side of his cup, using a teaspoon, while he ambled over to the sink and opened the cupboard under it to flick his teabag into the bin, discarding his teaspoon into the sink. "You didn't have to babysit, Albert, you know? He's capable of being on his own."

"I wasn't babysitting him." She told him with her cup held up near her mouth, ready for her to blow on the hot liquid. "We were just hanging out."

One of his eyebrows lifted at her, quizzing her, whilst he walked by her. "Hanging out with my fifteen year old son?"

"We're friends." Belle stated, not liking his question.

"I have to tell you again, Miss French, your father's debt is paid. You don't need to befriend my son, thinking you still owe me." Mr Gold told her whilst pulling out a chair at the breakfast table to sit down, placing his cup down carefully.

"You know," She whirled round, putting her cup down on the counter. "I'm getting tired of people telling me what I can and can't do. What I should or shouldn't do. I'm friends with him, because I am. Because I want to be. Not because of you or anyone else."

One corner of his mouth pulled up into half a smile. "Just as long as you're not using my son."

"I would never use him. I care too much about him to do that to him." Belle revealed to him. Waiting for his reply, she watched as he blew over his tea and drank from his cup. He placed the cup down and laid his arms either side of his cup onto the table. A silence descended over the kitchen, neither one of the speaking while she observed him.

Mr Gold pulled his tie from around his neck, breathing heavily through his nose, and tossed his tie onto the table. "Come and sit down."

"Why?" Belle asked without thinking.

"Because," He turned his head to look at her. "You're making my kitchen look untidy. And I'd rather have a civilised conversation with you beside me, then across my kitchen."

She hesitated, but did as he asked, taking her cup with her to the table and sat down in the chair near him. Being close to him, did nothing to help the urge she had to kiss him. The smell of his aftershave grew stronger with every breath and was not helped when he leaned onto the table, shifting his chair closer to the table. Belle squeezed her eyes shut, counted to ten in her head and opened her eyes to see him unbutton the top buttons of his shirt, opening his collar to show the nape of his neck.

"So… This ex-boyfriend of yours," Mr Gold began with his hand waving in the air between them. "Was it serious?"

Belle pondered him before she answered. "I considered us once to be serious."

"I'm guessing, from what I heard in the street, that he went off with another woman." He said, his gaze fixed on his cup and his hands clasped around it. His knuckles were white with the force he squeezed the cup.

"He didn't go off with her." She said down to her cup, only now realising how much she had broadcasted to the residents of Storybrooke. "He brought her home to our bed and I found them."

"I'm sorry that he did that to you, Miss French." The sincerity in his voice made her look up at him as he drank from his tea. When she had gone to her so-called friends, seeking their support, when she was trying to come to terms, with the fact Gaston had thrown what they had away. They had said the words to her, telling her how sorry they were, but there had been a fake undertone to their words. Not in his voice. His words were genuine, from a soul who understood her pain.

Belle sipped at her tea, observing him over the rim of her cup whilst he removed his cufflinks to discard them onto the table and rolled his shirtsleeves midway up his forearms. As she placed her cup down onto the table, Belle involuntarily yawned and raised her free hand to cover her mouth. Hearing her yawn, Mr Gold raised his eyebrows at her with a small smile gracing his lips.

"Long day?" He asked before drinking from his cup, finishing his tea.

"Didn't really get much sleep last night." Belle replied, rubbing at the tiredness of her eyes.

Mr Gold pursed his lips in thought before he said. "It's late. You can stay in one of the guest bedrooms… if you want?"

"Oh, no, Mr Gold." She shook her head at him, pushing herself up from her chair. "No, thank you. I wouldn't want to impose."

As she passed the back of his chair, he stood up from his chair and touched her shoulder, his simple touch enough to stop her. "You wouldn't be imposing."

"My father will worry." She told him as an excuse, not caring if her father worried about her or not.

"He won't be the only one worrying." Mr Gold said, his eyes pleaded with her with his hand remaining on her shoulder.

Belle moved away from him towards the entrance hall, uncertain by his words. "I'll be home in no time. No need to worry about me."

As she reached for her jacket on the coat hooks, Belle stilled her movements when he spoke. "Miss French, please, it's late. You shouldn't be walking around town on your own at this time of night. Please, you're more than welcome to one of the spare rooms."

Tensely Belle turned to face him, her hands dropped to her side as she did, finding him in the opening between the kitchen and entrance hall. His hands were clasped together in front of him. Mr Gold rocked forward and backwards on the balls of his feet. The pleading in his eyes was not something she had ever expected to see from him. He was always so sure, not needing anything from anyone.

Another unexpected yawn escaped from Belle, her hand quickly raised to cover her mouth, whilst her eyes squinted at him. He rolled his eyes at her taking a step into the entrance hall and waved his hand in the direction up the stairs.

"You're tired." He stated to her with a small smile. "Come on. It's nearly midnight. In the morning, I'll drive you home."

She rubbed a hand over her tired face. "One minute, you're throwing me out of your house. Now, you want me to stay."

"Friday was a bad night for me. My ex-wife brings the wrong side out of me." He told her with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Fine." Belle dropped her hand from her face. "I'll stay." She told him tiredly. The smile that graced his face would have normally made her feel all giddy. Belle forced a smile at him as he started up the stairs, unbuttoning his waistcoat. Sighing she climbed the stairs behind him, her eyes roaming over his butt in front of her, thanking whatever god for the hint of pleasure she got from it. Belle knew he was talking to her, but she was more interested in watching his behind.

Nearing the top of the stairs, she grumbled to herself at losing the pleasure as he twisted to look at her. "I'll get you something to sleep in, so you don't have to sleep in your clothes or… anything."

"You don't need to do that. I'll be fine." Belle said to him.

"No, but I will." He gestured towards a door behind across the hallway, as he opened a door opposite. "You can have that room. I'll just get you something." He disappeared into the room, leaving the door open behind him. Belle leaned against the door he had indicated and waited, observing him through the door opening a draw and digging through the clothes inside of it. He shut the draw and came back to the doorway, holding a folded t-shirt in his hand.

"Here you go." Mr Gold offered the t-shirt towards her across the hallway. Taking the t-shirt from him, Belle smiled her thanks and opened the door behind her to slip into the room. As she closed the door, she lingered before finally closing it, watching him step back into his room to close his bedroom door as well. The door clicked into place, a long breath escaping Belle as she considered over why she had given into him.


	17. Chapter 17

Sleeping only a few steps away from his bedroom door was torturous for Belle. Every time she closed her eyes, her head comfortably cradled by the pillow, the smell of him embracing her like a hug from his t-shirt, her mind would wander to dark fantasies. The only problem was they were so vivid. She would startle herself awake and jolt up out of the bed, heavily panting as she squeezed her eyes shut at the truth of it being only a dream. After calming herself, Belle would settle back down into the pillows, curling up onto her side, and closed her eyes in the hope of sleep.

Her dream would start with him slipping into the bed, carefully edging closer to her. The first touch would be ever so light, wanting to touch but not wanting to disturb her from her sleep. His hand would slide over her skin before dipping down to glide over her stomach. Spooning up behind her, his bare chest pressed to her back, his warm breath would slowly move over the nape of her neck, tingling her skin, before a sweet kiss pressed to the sensitive skin of her neck. Sleepily Belle would awaken, turning her head to see who was there, sleep still holding some control over her body. Before she could open her eyes, his lips would capture hers, as his hand, which had been caressing her, would travel up to steady her face and refused her to break the kiss. The sensations their kiss would cause, would fully awaken her and she would turn over, their lips remaining locked together. It was at that moment, when their legs would intertwine and their hands explored one another that Belle would awaken.

At about four o'clock in the morning, Belle had laid in the bed and refused to try to sleep, unable to endure the dream any further with the physical want burning inside of her. The temptation to creep out of her room and into his, played heavily at the forefront of her mind. She commanded herself to remain in the bed, her hands clutching the covers tightly around her neck, using it to restrain herself. The need to get out of bed and go in there was strong. Belle had never experienced intensity like it. Even when she had stayed the night at Gaston's, parent's house, sleeping in separate rooms, she had not found herself wanting to visit him during the night or missing his company in bed.

Around seven o'clock, when the sun had started to illuminate around the edges of the curtains and peeked through the gap in the middle of the curtains, Belle had heard one of the bedroom doors open. The floorboards in the hallway had creaked as one of them left their room and headed down the stairs. Curious she slipped out of the bed and got dressed, and instantly regretted she had to remove his t-shirt. Belle cautiously opened her door, peeking out into the hallway to see Mr Gold's door was ajar.

She left her bedroom door open and calmly walked down the hallway to the stairs, pausing to listen but heard no movement downstairs. Descending the stairs, Belle took advantage of the angle into the living room to sweep it with her eyes, checking to see if he was there. At the bottom of the stairs, she stopped with her hand resting on the banister, listening out for him. The only sound she could hear downstairs was the ticking of the grandfather clock, sitting on the opposite wall to the stairs. The corner of her lip tugged at the disappointment of not hearing him whilst she stepped off the last step and ambled into the kitchen.

The broken patio doors were missing. Her eyebrow rose at the peculiar sight as she crossed the kitchen to the empty space the doors had once lived. Belle inspected the doorframe, her hand touching the frame, her eyes roamed from one side of the doorframe over to the other side. Which was when, she spotted one of the damaged patio doors, lying on its side against the wall of the house. Frowning at the door, Belle stepped out onto the patio and inspected the door, noting the wooden board covering the broken panes had been removed.

"Ah! Morning!" His voice was thick with his Scottish accent, when he greeted her.

"Morning." She replied, brushing some hair behind her ear. "You're up early."

"Could say the same about you. I'm always up at this time." Mr Gold told her whilst he grabbed the abandoned door and picked it up.

"What're you doing?" She asked following behind him down the side of the house.

"Some idiot threw a chair through my patio doors." He informed her as he went through the side gate, coming out onto the driveway at the front of the house.

Belle smiled at him. "Really? Someone would dare to throw a chair through – your – patio doors?"

"I know!" He exaggerated to her, laying the door across the two benches that had been positioned inside the garage. "So, I'm going to repair them."

"You? Repair them?" She questioned him, leaning against the outside wall, watching him move around inside the garage collecting his tools.

He halted his movements, posed over one of the doors, ready to remove the inner framework. "Yes. Me. Fix door."

"I'm sorry." She apologised laughing into her hand and pushed herself away from the wall to walk into the garage. "I just never thought you were… hands on. I thought you would've got someone in to repair or replace them."

"That's because, you don't know me." He informed her and began removing the inner frame for the windowpanes.

"I guess… You would be right. I don't know you." Belle said with a small hint of sadness in her voice. She realised in that moment, the man who had invaded her dreams, she hardly knew anything about him apart from the obvious. Her eyes followed his hands, skilfully removing the framework.

He paused and looked up at her, bent at his hip over the door. "Well, there's plenty of time to rectify that. Seeing as you'll be spending more time around here."

"Excuse me?" Belle scrunched her eyebrows at him, unsure of his meaning.

"You and Albert." He began to tell her, waving the wood chisel back and forth. "Being friends and all, I'm guessing you'll be hanging out together."

"Oh, yes, of course." She said quickly, feeling her cheeks redden. Mr Gold rolled his eyes at her, but had an amused look upon his face as he went back to his work. As he prised at the broken frame, Belle watched him remove the pieces of wood, his hands were firm yet so gentle at the same time.

Advancing into the garage, Belle inspected the workbench that stretched across most of the back wall. Tools littered across the bench, from screwdrivers to hammers. Her fingers traced over some of the tools, intrigued by the aspect of Mr Gold being into DIY. She never would have guessed it. As she had told him, she would have assumed he would pay someone to do it, seeing as he was well off. It was an automatic assumption.

"What have you got planned for today?" He asked, making polite conversation.

"Erm…" Belle thought about it, as she turned round to face him and leant back against the workbench. "Don't know. I do know I don't fancy going home."

Mr Gold threw some of the pieces of wood he had removed to the floor at his feet. "Why's that?"

"I'm just so tired of picking up the pieces. I'm always trying to please others. Please my father." She told him, feeling an ease with him, so she could be open with him.

He placed his tool down onto the door and rubbed his hands down the front of his t-shirt, as he came around the door to stand near her. "Take it from someone, who used to do what I thought, was expected of me. It will never make you happy trying to please others."

"I could never see you doing what pleased others." Belle informed him. "I've only ever seen you do what pleases yourself."

"Again, dearie," Mr Gold moved passed her, aligning himself closer to her as he spoke. "You don't know me."

Belle rolled her eyes at him, gazing at him whilst he collected some tools from the bench. "Enlighten me then."

His head turned to look at her before he placed the tools back down onto the workbench and leant forward onto it. "My father wanted me to go into the family business. So, when I wasn't at school, I was working at my family's antiques shop after school and at the weekends. I did whatever he told me to do. I followed him everywhere. Hoping," Mr Gold moved away from the bench and crossed back to the door he had been working on, saying. "It would be enough for him to care about me."

Silence descended over them as he went back to working on the door, digging his chisel into the edge of the wood. Belle was speechless. There conversations were always light hearted, apart from the times when tempers got the better of them. To hear him be candid with her, with a subject very close to her very own heart made her want to engulf him into a hug. Soothe the hurt she knew he carried around in his heart, just like the hurt she carried in her own.

Bravely Belle shuffled gingerly over to stand beside him, as he bent down to blow at the bits of wood he had removed from the door. She reached out to touch his forearm, when he straightened himself up from bending over the door, scrutinising his own work. When her hand came into contact with his arm, Mr Gold jumped, startled by her closeness and her touch. His brow scrunched as he looked at her hand on his arm and then up to meet her eyes. They stood in silence, staring into each other's eyes. Her hand longed to touch his face, but she kept her hand firmly on his arm.

"Dad!" Albert's voice called from somewhere outside. The two remained unmoving. They did not ignore Albert's call. They simply did not hear it. Too caught up with each other to care about anything else. Albert's voice called again, sounding nearer. This time, Mr Gold responded by closing his eyes and took a deep breath. Belle waited, holding her breath for him to say or do anything. He opened his eyes and Belle watched him visibly swallow before he slowly took a step away from her, her hand slid from his arm.

"In the garage, Albert!" He shouted to his son, walking out of the garage to slip down the side of the house, heading to the back garden.

For the first time, in a long time, the moment they had shared between them, Belle had felt at home. The last time she had felt at home was when she had sat beside her mother, holding her hand, as her mother had told her she was seriously ill. With him now gone, Belle was left feeling lonely in his garage, with an eerie feeling beginning to stir in the pit of her stomach. She held her hand over her stomach, frowning in confusion at the peculiar sensation.

Belle started to leave the garage and stopped just outside of the opening. There was a call from inside the house for her. Her gaze went to the house and then to the street at the end of the driveway. She felt an urge to leave. A fear that she was getting too far ahead of herself and was seeing things that were not there. As much as she felt a connection for him, a want and desire, did not mean he felt the same about her. When another call came from the house, Belle glanced up to the house, deciding she had to be brave and push forward as she went into the house.


	18. Chapter 18

Belle lounged on the couch with Albert beside her, an empty cereal bowl balanced in her lap as she drank from her coffee in the large mug Mr Gold had given her. They sat happily together watching a live broadcast of a bearded guy playing World of Warcraft, explaining tactics and other things that Belle did not understand, but Albert was enthralled with the information. Whilst trying to eat his breakfast, Albert was typing things into his iPad, chuckling to himself as he typed. Seeing Albert happy in himself, made Belle happy and that was all she cared about as she watched over him.

Her phone kept buzzing every now and then in her pocket. She knew it was her father. He had left six voicemails and over twenty texts on her phone, the last time she checked it. A few had been ordering her to come home at once. Slowly after those, the messages had turned into pleads for her to come home. Yet, there was no apology.

As she finished her coffee, Belle shifted forward on the couch, holding her empty bowl and mug in one hand, and collected Albert's forgotten bowl. He was too engrossed in the tactics to take down a new dungeon boss that he did not notice Belle leave the living room. She smiled knowing she was probably the same, when she was reading her books. Belle placed the bowls and mug in the sink in the kitchen, her gaze caught by the sight of a patio door passing by the window, down the side of the house. After a couple of seconds, Mr Gold appeared with the door and leaned it against the doorframe, where it once hung.

He smiled at her, when he saw her approaching. "One door down, one to go."

"Looks like new." Belle was surprised. The door looked like a new door. He had sanded down the wood, ready for a fresh coat of paint. She traced her fingers down the framework for the windowpanes inside the door. The wood was smooth under her touch.

"The things I can do with these hands, you would be amazed." Mr Gold told her as he held his hands up to her, wiggling his fingers at her. Feeling the blush at her cheeks, Belle turned her face away from him, smiling broadly to herself. She heard him laughing behind her, moving into the kitchen and back into her sight. His back was to her as her eyes roamed over his body.

He collected his wallet and phone from the kitchen counter. "I got to go into town to get some more wood for the other door. Do you want me to drop you off or you hanging out here?"

"Erm… Sure. I don't want you having to make two trips because of me." Belle said thoughtfully to him.

Showing her a brief smile over his shoulder, he headed towards the entrance hall. "It wouldn't be any trouble. I have to take Albert to his grandmother's about midday. Family dinner thing."

"Oh, he didn't say anything about it." Belle said going through conversations in her head, trying to find reference to this dinner.

"Yes, well…" Mr Gold stopped by the hung jackets and coats and reached into his overcoat to retrieve his keys. "He doesn't know yet."

"Why haven't you told him?" Belle asked quietly standing beside him, discreetly breathing him in whilst she grabbed her denim jacket from the hook.

Mr Gold glanced at Albert in the living room, who had erupted into laughter. "His mother and Killian are going to be there. He hasn't spoken to her since Friday and says he doesn't want to see her. But, that's not his grandmother's fault."

"He'll be fine, as long as you stay with him for the dinner." Belle told him, flicking her hair out from under her jacket after shrugging it onto her shoulders.

"I wasn't planning on staying." He said to her before stepping towards the opening to the living room. "Albert, I'm going to the hardware store. Do you want anything while I'm out?"

"Twizzlers." Albert replied with his attention focused on the television.

Mr Gold rolled his eyes at his son. "Flavour?"

"Don't care." Albert's tone had a hint of annoyance in it as he waved his hand dismissively at his father, worried he would miss something crucial. The shake of his father's head made Belle giggle at the interaction between them. Opening the door, Mr Gold motioned for Belle to go through first, while he inspected his son sat crossed legged on the couch.

Belle began to descend the steps from the porch, hearing Mr Gold tell his son to be showered and dressed in his suit by the time he came home. Angling herself to see Mr Gold, she watched as he closed the front door and followed her down the stairs, greeting her with another smile before gesturing towards his car in the driveway. They climbed into the car, falling into a comfortable silence as Mr Gold reversed out of the driveway and drove off towards town.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Curious Belle lifted her hips off the seat, using the back of the seat as advantage, and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Mr Gold coughed beside her, drawing her gaze towards him, which he waved away before turning on the radio. The song started near the beginning with a familiar voice singing it. Listening to the song, her foot tapped out the tempo of the song as Belle unlocked her phone to see more messages from her father. She scrolled through the messages, but was distracted when she could hear Mr Gold mumbling the words to the song. Slowly her eyes went from her phone to Mr Gold, discreetly watching him beside her.

"Just a fool..." He mumbled stopping the car at a stop sign. His head turned to check the coast was clear before turning the car right and caught her watching him. "To believe."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Car singer, are we?"

"No." Mr Gold shifted in his seat uncomfortably, turning his body away from her.

"Who's singing anyway?" Belle lowered her phone and placed it on the seat between them. "His voice sounds familiar."

He dared a look in her direction before he said. "Patrick Swayze."

"The guy from the film, Ghost?" She questioned him with a frown.

"Yeah, him." Mr Gold replied as he turned the car onto the main street through town. Belle smiled turning her gaze away from him, but as she spotted her father's shop approaching, the smile slowly left her face. He pulled the car into a space at the kerb several yards up the street her from father's shop. There was a car parked in front of her father's shop, the license plates indicated it was from California, meaning it was Gaston's car.

"Hey," He said touching her shoulder. "If you don't want to go back in there, you're more than welcome to stay at the house. I'm going to the hardware store," He gestured to the street behind them. "I'll leave the car here in case you want to come back."

"That's a very kind offer of you, Mr Gold." She told him coyly looking at him beside her and pulled the latch of the door to open. Climbing out of the car onto the sidewalk, Belle took a deep breath closing the car door and began walking purposely to her father's shop. Outside her father's shop, Belle inspected the car at the kerb before gazing over her shoulder, seeing Mr Gold climb out of his car.

Belle squared her shoulders and opened the shop door for the scent of the flowers to hit her as she walked in. As she closed the door, Belle could hear footsteps in the back of the shop. The one place in Storybrooke she should have felt at home, felt like a jail.

"Belle!" Her father almost shouted her name at her. "Where have you been?"

"It doesn't matter where I've been." Belle told him, cautiously moving through the shop towards the doorway to the backroom, her father was blocking.

"Yes, it does! I've been worried!" Maurice grabbed hold of her arm, preventing her from passing him.

"Father, I don't want to talk right now." She was calm as she spoke to him, but her anger was building as his fingers pressed hard into her upper arm.

He pulled her round to face him, as he spoke to her. "As long as you live under my roof, young lady, you will respect me. I am your father!"

"Yes and a brilliant one you've been as well." Belle told him matter-of-factly, not holding back any punches.

"She's been with Mr Gold." Gaston's voice came from the doorway behind her father. Maurice twisted to see Gaston over his shoulder before turning back to Belle, releasing his hold on her with a shove. The look he gave her was as if she had committed the ultimate sin or she had spawned a second head. It was much like the look she would give him, hearing about another debt or 'we have to move' from her father.

Maurice shook his head at her. "How could you be with him? He's… He's a monster!"

"He's not a monster!" Belle defended, her hands clenched into fists at her side.

"I don't want to hear it! I forbid you to see him!" Her father instructed her as he pushed his way passed Gaston into the back of the shop.

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions!" She yelled after him. Her gaze slowly met with Gaston's as he moved towards her, his hands clasped behind his back. Belle had never seen the look on his face before and she did not like it either. As he came closer, Belle backed away until her back pressed into the wall behind her. He did not stop his advance until Belle felt his breath unwelcomingly wash over her face.

"Belle, please, we can make this work." He told her and reached up to comb some hair behind her ear. "We can be happy again. And your father will forgive you."

"Forgive…" Her words were cut off, when Gaston latched his lips onto hers and his body pressed her flat into the wall behind her. The shock of his lips on hers made Belle freeze. She blinked her eyes at him, feeling his hands move over her body. Distantly she heard the shop door open with a call of her name, 'Miss French', as whoever it was entered the shop. Belle squirmed her arms up between Gaston and herself and managed with all her might to break Gaston's assault on her lips.

As her eyes met his, Belle inwardly screamed. Mr Gold stood near the open doorway, a phone held between his hands, as he stared at the sight before him. His head dropped to the phone in his hands. Struggling against Gaston, Belle forced him to step away from her, freeing her from the confines of the wall, and stepped over to the safety of Mr Gold. He stroked his thumb over the screen of the phone, his hands shook.

"It's not" Belle began to tell him, but was interrupted when he shoved the phone at her. "Have your goddamn phone!"

"Mr Gold, it… It isn't…" She struggled to get her words out as he turned away from her to storm out of the shop and slammed the door shut behind him, making it clattered in the doorframe. Belle clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to see him as he passed by the window at the front of the shop. His eyes had told her all she needed to know. The kindness she had seen there earlier was gone. The cold-hearted bastard was back.

Gaston chuckled beside her. "Wish I had my phone on me."

"You knew!" Belle opened her eyes and glared at him beside her. "You saw him coming, didn't you?"

"I knew I was right about him liking you!" He smiled triumphantly at her.

"He doesn't like me, Gaston, you idiot. He's my friend's dad. He was being kind to me." She informed him, looking down at her phone Mr Gold had returned to her, the screen lit with Albert and Mr Gold's picture.

"Good. Means there's nothing standing between us. We can make a…" Gaston stopped mid-sentence and held a hand up to his reddening cheek, his mouth and eyes wide open as he gawked at Belle. Shaking her hand in a futile attempt to get rid of the pain, Belle bit her lip leaving Gaston in the shop and went through into the back room to go up the stairs. Belle opened and clenched her hand into a fist, the pins and needles in her hand the only feeling in it after slapping Gaston hard across the face. The loud slap sound of her hand connecting with his face, gave Belle an overwhelming feeling of pleasure. A single shot of payback for all the hurt he had ever caused her.

Entering her bedroom, Belle purposefully packed a bag with clothes and things she thought she would need. As she slung the strap over her shoulder, leaving her bedroom, Belle paused spotting her father at the other end of the room, his back turned to her while he looked out of the window. She loved him, she knew she did and she always would. However, she was not a child and she would not allow him to treat her as such, when he had never allowed her to be a child, forcing her into the position where she had to look after him. With a glum look on her face, Belle left her father's shop and went to Grannies, seeking refuge with her friend.

*Song: Patrick Swayze - She's like the Wind*


	19. Chapter 19

The room Grannie had given Belle was the smallest of the rooms available, but that did not matter to Belle. She was just grateful that Grannie had been willing to let her stay there, paying for the room by waitressing downstairs in the diner. It seemed like she had been at Grannies longer than two weeks, after the fallout of that eventful weekend. Her father was not speaking to her, refusing to acknowledge her when he came into Grannies, and Gaston was gone, his car no longer parked outside her father's shop. Now she did not have to contend with them anymore, the only thing troubling her now was Mr Gold.

She had left him, for a day or two, before she bravely ventured to his shop, hoping to sort out the misunderstanding. The shop door had been locked and a hand written note taped to the inside of the window, advising everyone the shop would be closed for the week. When she had called Albert, probing for information, he had excitedly told her how his father and he had gone to their cabin in the woods. Promising to send her some pictures, Belle had to wait until the following week until she was able to meet up with Albert to hear the details of their sudden trip. As she had received each photo, Belle could see the smile on Mr Gold's face did not show in his eyes, as it had in the picture from New York. His mask was up, hiding his emotions.

He had been into Grannies a few times since they had returned from their trip. Each time he had come in, Belle would be unable to venture out of the kitchen and would observed him from the serving hatch. Mr Gold had looked tired whilst he sat in a booth, reading a local newspaper. She had pleaded with her feet to go to him, but every time she got the nerve up to go to him, she would watch him leave the diner.

Belle turned the page in her book with a heavy sigh, settled back into the pillows of her bed, her legs crossed at her ankles. She had promised herself, she was going to relax on her day off, turn herself off from the world. It was hard to turn off her thoughts of Mr Gold. As she read Sense and Sensibility, it would conjure up memories of watching the film with her mother. Images of Alan Rickman, as the Colonel, which was Belle's favourite character in the book, would morph into Mr Gold being the Colonel. The image of Mr Gold as the Colonel made her tingle.

Annoyed by the distraction, Belle flung her book across the room and hit the opposing wall. The book fell limped to the floor, lying open face down. Turning onto her side, Belle clutched a pillow to head as the door to her room open.

"What was…? Didn't like the plot twist?" Ruby asked stooping down to collect the book from the floor and closed the door behind her.

"I've read it before." Belle grumbled, gazing out the window at the branches that swayed in the light breeze.

"Are you meeting up with Albert and Emma later?" Ruby inquired as she came around the end of the bed to drop onto it and tossed the book onto the bed behind Belle.

"We were, but Emma's parents have invited Albert to dinner." Belle explained and shifted on the bed to allow Ruby more room.

Ruby's eyes widened with excitement. "So, you're free! Let's go out tonight!"

"I don't feel like going out, Ruby. Thank you though." Belle smiled a small smile of thanks.

"Belle," Ruby edged closer to Belle, her hand rested on Belle's thigh. "I don't like seeing you down."

"I'm just tired, Ruby." Belle told Ruby, moving one of her hands to touch Ruby's knee.

"You're not tired, you're pining for him." Ruby said wisely and clasped Belle's hand on her knee.

Belle rolled her eyes and turned onto her back to sit up. "I've told you to stop with this."

"Belle, you're a fool to think he doesn't care." Ruby shook her head at her friend.

"How come, no matter how much, I explain to you that he's nice to me, because I'm friends with Albert, you don't understand?" She asked Ruby, rubbing a hand over her forehead.

Ruby grabbed the wrist of Belle's hand rubbing her forehead and pulled it into her lap. "Are you sure about that, or is that what you're telling yourself?"

Belle's brow pressed down over her eyes as Ruby continued. "Explain to me, if he was just being nice to you, why would he storm off seeing Gaston kiss you? He should have been unaffected by it. He should have handed you your phone and left. Not slam the door, so the glass nearly broke."

"He was angry because… Because…" Belle tussled with her words, trying to think of an explanation.

"Because he found you in the arms of your ex, kissing." Ruby finished the sentence and gave Belle a pointed look.

"No." Belle shook her head at Ruby.

Ruby smiled at Belle and then nodded her head, saying. "Yes."

"No!" Belle said more sternly, trying to remove her hand from Ruby's hold.

"Yes!" Ruby squeezed Belle's hand, preventing her from escaping her hold. "Belle, you're probably the smartest person I know, but when it comes to your heart, you're stupid!"

"I'm stupid?" Belle asked her friend, relenting her attempts to break out of Ruby's hand.

"You should just tell him. Tell him how you feel." Ruby tried to sway Belle.

Belle chuckled and managed to pull her hand out of Ruby's, and quickly escaped from the bed to head to the door. "And I'm the stupid one!"

"Well, tell me," Ruby said, getting up off the bed to follow Belle to the door. "What have you got to lose?" Belle turned to face Ruby, her hand on the doorknob. "Honestly, what's left to lose? He's not talking to you already. You're avoiding each other as well. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I die of embarrassment!" Belle proclaimed at Ruby before flinging the door open and leaving her room.

Ruby closed the door behind her and followed Belle down the hallway. "So what? We can cure that with alcohol."

Belle laughed at the absurdity of Ruby as she marched down the staircase to the next landing. Just as Belle was about to start down the next staircase, Ruby quickly moved around Belle and stood in her way, preventing her from going down the stairs.

"You've been telling me, how you want to do what you want to do and you don't want anyone holding you back anymore." Ruby reminded Belle of what she had said during their nightly chats. "Well, don't let yourself hold you back now. Go to him and tell him. At least then, you'll know the truth and can move forward from there."

"Ruby, I can't." Belle closed her eyes, fearing she would start crying.

Ruby took hold of Belle's hand and squeezed it. "Yes, you can. Do it for you."

She opened her eyes to see the look on Ruby's face, her friend already knew she had won. Ruby was right, if Belle was going to move forward, then she needed to know either way. At least then, she could make her decision as to what to do with her life.

"Let's go have a drink for courage." Ruby suggested, descending the stairs. Taking a deep breath, Belle followed behind Ruby down into the diner, thinking she was going to need a lot of drinks for the amount of courage she was going to need.


	20. Chapter 20

One drink, had led to two drinks, and had led to Belle having three drinks. She was not drunk as she ambled up the street towards his house. However, her reservations of pouring her heart out to him forgotten by the time she finished the second cocktail, Ruby had made her. It was early evening, the street lights were starting to flick on above as Belle walked underneath them. Some of the houses had lights on, showing people were home. The only thing that indicated that Mr Gold was home was his car in the driveway. There were no lights on in his house.

Belle turned up the path, which led to his porch, and steadily made her way up the steps to his porch. With her hand up ready to knock, she told herself she could do this before she knocked on the door. Quickly she lowered her hand to her side and waited nervously, playing with the ends of her blouse. Belle anxiously waited, her gaze flitted to the street behind her and back to the front door. She checked over her shoulder that it was his Cadillac in the driveway and moved closer to the door, peering in through the glass hoping to see his shadow coming towards the door. There did not seem to be any signs of life inside the house.

Intrigued to where he could be, Belle leaned over the railing nearest the driveway and saw the light was on inside the garage. She could not keep her eyes from the direction of the garage, as she quickly went down the steps and crossed the driveway to the garage. From inside she could hear music playing. Belle wandered to the side of the garage, slipping down the path between the house and the garage. As she neared the side door to the garage, it was slightly open and the music got louder the nearer she got to it.

She leant against the doorframe of the door and peeked into the garage, finding him painting one of the patio doors. When he turned to the workbench, Belle pulled back from the doorway so he could not see her. The music became louder, but was not loud enough to drown out his singing.

"But I just can't live without your," Belle leaned back to see him painting the door again, singing to the door. "Feeling all the while and never really knowing why."

With him distracted, Belle slowly pushed the door further open and bravely stepped into the garage. "That you'll always be staying beside me."

He began to hum along with the tune and dipped his brush into the pot of paint, situated on the stool beside where he stood. Carefully Belle closed the door, turning the doorknob to retract the catch, so it did not disturb him. She gingerly released the doorknob, gazing at him over her shoulder to see if he heard the door. His humming ceased when the song changed. As the next song began, Belle bit her bottom lip and shuffled to the workbench at the back of the garage.

"Fancy dancer…" Mr Gold sang as he dipped the brush in the paint.

Belle took a deep breath before she said. "So, we sing whilst we work?"

He froze with the paintbrush dipped in the paint tin. His shoulders rose and fell. He laid the brush across the rim of the paint tin and turned round wiping his hand down the front of his t-shirt. Belle kept her eyes on him as he strolled over to workbench, where a glass sat next to a bottle of whiskey, and turned off the CD player. Mr Gold poured the whiskey into the empty glass and screwed the lid back onto the bottle.

He placed the bottle down and collected his glass, as he said. "Albert's not here. He's at Emma's."

"I'm not here to see Albert." Belle informed him as he downed the whiskey in one.

"Then, what can I do for you, Miss French?" He asked finally meeting her eyes, placing his empty glass back onto the workbench.

"I wanted to explain what you saw in my father's shop." Belle said to him.

"Dearie, you don't need to explain anything to me." He retorted back at her, waving his hand at her as he turned to go back to the door he was painting.

"I wasn't kissing him." Belle told him and he stopped midstride. "He was kissing me, yes. But I wasn't kissing him."

Mr Gold angled his head to see her over his shoulder, refusing to turn around. "You don't need to lie to me, Miss French."

"I'm not lying. I don't even want to be with Gaston." She said, hesitantly moving towards him.

"Then, what do you want, Miss French?"

Belle closed her eyes. "Don't ask me that."

"Why? What's wrong with asking you, what you want, dearie?" His questions made Belle open her eyes to find him facing her.

"Because…" Belle fearlessly reached up to his face and caressed his cheek, his eyes fluttered shut at her touch. "You might not want the same thing."

Mr Gold reached up his hand to hold against the back of her hand and turned his face into her hand, so he could press a soft kiss to the palm of her hand. Her breath hitched when he kissed her hand. As he opened his eyes to look at her, his other hand came up to her face, brushing the back of his fingers over her soft cheek. Belle could not stop herself, did not want to stop herself, as her face angled into his touch. He stepped towards her closing the space between them, while his other hand left her hand to caress her cheek and threaded his fingers into the hair behind her ear.

"Miss French," His brogue was thick as he spoke. "I've wanted you since you bumped into me in the street." Belle blinked her eyes in disbelief at his admission. He leaned into her as his eyes went to her lips. The anticipation of not knowing what was to come next, made Belle bite her lower lip, which made him halt his movement towards her and his eyes came up to meet hers.

"You need to stop doing that, Miss French." Mr Gold instructed her with both his hands cupping her face. As he commanded, Belle released her lower lip, which made him smile. His hands gently angled her face up to him as he lowered his head to hers and his lips feathery kissed her lips. Feeling his lips against hers was enough of an invite for Belle to put her arms around his neck, encouraging him to kiss her again. His hands left her face and wrapped around her waist, drawing her against his body as he kissed her harder this time.

Belle grabbed the hair at the back of his head, groaning at the feel of his hands running up and down her back. He took advantage when she groaned, deepening their kiss, with his tongue invading her mouth with the taste of whiskey. She could feel herself melt against him, all her weight hung around his neck. His arm held her hard against him as he lifted her up onto her tiptoes, stumbling her backwards into the workbench. The bench pressed painfully into Belle's lower back, but she did not care as his hands clasped at the back of her blouse.

His lips left hers so he could rest his forehead against hers. "What do you want, Miss French?"

"You know exactly what I want." She whispered to him and raked her fingers down the back of his head. Mr Gold shivered against her with his eyes closing at the sensations of her fingernails trailing down his neck.

He took a deep breath, when her fingers went down his back, and mumbled to her. "Okay."

Slowly Mr Gold reached behind him and took hold of her hand to lead her out of the garage, turning off the lights as they exited through the door. He led her round to the back of the house and through the open doorway, where the door he was painting should have been. A tug of her hand and he captured her in his arms, while his lips fastened themselves onto hers. She could feel him smiling against her lips as they kissed.

The sound of front door unlocking made them jump apart, both looking to the front door as Albert opened it and entered talking to someone behind him. "Hey, it's fine. We'll just ask dad, but I'm sure he'll be fine with it."

Mr Gold quickly bolted to the light switch near the patio doors, turning on the kitchen light before Albert saw them. "Hey Belle! I didn't know you were going to be here!"

"Err…" She hesitantly gazed at Mr Gold and then back at Albert and Emma in the entrance hall. "I haven't been here long. I was just asking your dad, if he's seen a white woolly jumper of mine. I think I might have left it here that night I stayed over."

"Oh," Albert looked between them. "I don't think I've seen it. Maybe it's in the room you stayed in?"

"I'll go look for you." Emma stated, running up the stairs.

"No, no. It's okay." Belle called making Emma pause on the stairs. "I've already looked." Belle turned to Mr Gold. "Can you keep an eye out for it?"

"Course I can." He told her with a smile.

"Right, well… I'll be going then. Ruby and I are going out, so I better get back." Belle told them as she strolled out of the kitchen to the entrance hall. With a brief look over her shoulder at Mr Gold, Belle smiled at Albert and opened the front door.

"Erm… Hang on, I'll walk you out." Mr Gold hurried to catch up with her and slipped through the front door, closing the door behind them. They shared a knowing smile between them as they descended the porch steps.

"What're you doing tomorrow?" He asked her in a hush voice, glancing over his shoulder to see shadows pressed against the front doors.

"I'm working in the diner till five." Belle told him and followed his gaze to smile at the sight of Albert and Emma, trying to see what they were doing.

Mr Gold leaned into her. "Meet me at my shop after work."

"Okay." Belle smiled at him and walked away from him down the path. The smile did not leave her face as she strolled away down his street. She could feel his eyes on her until she was out of sight. The thought of him having to deal with their questions made her giggle. Probably much like the questions, Ruby was going to hound her with when she got back to Grannies.

*Song: Bread – Baby I'm a want you*  
*Song: Bread – Fancy Dancer*


	21. Chapter 21

(Author Message: I would just like to take a chance to thank you for reading this story, and my other stories, and for the kind reviews, I have received for them. I had a really bad day on Monday and the only thing that cheered me up and got me through it, were the emails of people following/favouring/reviewing my stories. So thank you, for helping me get through a really bad day.)

As she had predicted, when she got back to Grannies last night, Ruby had more or less pinned her into a booth and made Belle tell her every little detail of her encounter with Mr Gold. They giggled at the details of the kiss and laughed at Albert and Emma interrupting them. After going to bed, Belle had laid awake smiling like a Cheshire cat, fantasying about his lips and hands. Just thinking about where his hands had touched her, his lips on her own, made her skin tingle in anticipation of more.

Stacking some plates into the industrial dishwasher, Belle hummed to herself with a wide smile on her face, dreaming of what would happen when she met him later in his shop. As she pushed the tray of plates and cutlery into the dishwasher, she glanced over her shoulder through the serving hatch into the dining area. She spotted Albert and Emma in a booth near the entrance to Grannies, huddled together beside each other, chatting and laughing about nonsense. Belle wiped her hands down the front of her apron, whilst she left the kitchen to cross the diner to her young friends. They were oblivious as she stood next to them.

"Hey, you two!" Belle greeted them, drawing their attention to her.

Albert smiled. "Hey Belle."

"Hi" Emma chided, playing with Albert's hand on top of the table.

"Has anyone took your order yet?" Belle asked as she reached into the front of her apron for her notepad and pen.

"No, not yet." Albert shook his head at her. "We were waiting for…"

Belle did not hear the last of his sentence, when she sensed someone was standing behind her, his spicy, citrus aftershave engulfed her. "Hello, Miss French."

Turning slightly to face him, Belle's breathe hitched when she realised how close he stood behind her. He smiled at her and stepped pass her to take the empty seat at the booth. Mr Gold looked very pleased with himself, taking the menu that was on the table in front of Albert and Emma. Belle could not help herself and watched him peruse the menu, while he undid the buttons to his suit jacket, parting it to his sides. How she wished, she could help him get out of the rest of his clothes…

"Belle?" Emma said, frowning up at Belle.

"Sorry," Belle blushed with embarrassment and held her notepad and pen ready. "What can I get you, Emma?"

"Can I get the chicken salad with a side order of fries?" Emma asked looking up expectantly at Belle.

"Course, you can. Do you want a drink as well?" Belle questioned, her eyes moving between her notepad and Mr Gold.

"Coke, please." Emma responded and nudged Albert beside her, who was looking at something on his phone.

Albert looked confused for a second before gazing up at Belle. "Cheeseburger and fries, with a banana milkshake."

"And, for you, Mr Gold? What would you like?" Belle asked as she wrote down Albert's order.

When she looked up to meet his gaze, Belle's toes curled up at seeing the naughty grin on his face. "Well, Miss French, there's quite a few things I would like."

"Okay, so what would you like to eat?" She tried to narrow his choices.

"Hmm…" His eyes travelled down her body before he turned his gaze back to the menu in his hands. "BLT and coffee, please."

He held the menu out for her take from him, smiling cheekily at her. Her skin felt hot as she wrote down his order and took the menu from him, and quickly escaped to the safety of the kitchen. She handed the slip to one of the boys in the kitchen and leant against one of the counters, her hand touching the hot skin of her neck. Slyly Belle snuck a glance through the serving hatch, watching the three of them in the booth, while Emma and Albert chatted happily to Mr Gold.

Gathering herself together, Belle exited the kitchen to go behind the counter to prepare their drinks. She was grateful that her back was to them, hiding him from sight. Heavily Belle sighed at the blender as she made Albert's milkshake. Ruby slipped by behind Belle, but stopped at hearing Belle's sigh.

"What's up with you?" Ruby asked leaning around Belle to see her face.

Belle indicated over her shoulder with a nod of her head. "He's here."

"Who is?" Ruby turned her head to look over the diner. "Oh, he's here!"

"Shush!" Belle quickly glanced over her shoulder, checking to see if anyone had heard Ruby.

"Do you want me to take over their table?" Ruby asked sincerely, her hand touching Belle's shoulder.

Belle shook her head at her friend. "No, no. It's okay."

She placed Albert's milkshake on the tray beside the other drinks and collected the tray to take over to their table. As she handed out their drinks, each one thanked her in turn until she placed Mr Gold's coffee down in front of him. Whether he did it on purpose or not, Mr Gold reached for his coffee at the same time Belle placed it down, his fingers hauntingly traced over the top of her fingers. Her gaze shot up from the cup to his face, her hand lingered around the cup, eager for his fingers to remain over hers.

"Thank you, Miss French." Mr Gold purred at her.

"No… No problem." Belle stuttered as she removed her hand from his cup and hugged the tray to her chest as she walked away from their table. Almost running to the protection behind the counter, Belle bumped into Ruby, who was making someone a hot chocolate and made her spill some hot water on the counter.

"You need to take their table." Belle told Ruby urgently.

Ruby frowned at Belle, whilst she cleaned up the mess on the counter. "You said it was okay a minute ago."

"Ruby, if you don't take their table, I'm going to jump him!" Belle leaned in closer to Ruby, her voice a low whisper.

"Really?" Ruby implored taking a step away from Belle. "Shall I get you some beer bottles, so you can relieve your tension on their labels?"

"Shut up and help me!" Belle pleaded, swatting her friend with the tray she had been hugging.

"Okay, okay." Ruby relented and held up her hands in surrender. Belle closed her eyes and let out a sigh, thankful for Ruby. Opening her eyes, Belle went into the kitchen, hiding out in the back until they had their lunch and left. She watched from the kitchen and saw Mr Gold's disappointment when he realised that Ruby had took over serving them. He had glanced round, trying to spot her, but was well hidden in her hiding spot. When they finally left, Belle had come back out into the diner and thanked Ruby by squeezing her friend's arm.


	22. Chapter 22

For the rest of the afternoon, Belle had eagerly watched the clock on the wall, waiting for five o'clock to come so she could rush to her room, change, and meet him at his shop. As she served people, she thought about things that remained unsaid between them. Things Belle hoped they would be able to sort through when she went to his shop. Now they had the night to sleep on it, or not in Belle's case, they could sit down with level heads and talk it through.

As Belle wiped down a table and collected the two empty glasses on the table, a hand touched Belle's shoulder. "Belle, it's ten to five. Grannie says, you can go and get change."

"What? Oh, okay." Belle glanced over her shoulder at Ruby and then at Grannie behind the counter. Smiling her thanks at the older woman, Belle hurriedly finished cleaning the table and took the glasses to the counter, leaving them for Ruby or Grannie.

Scuttling out of the diner and up the stairs to her room, Belle removed her apron and tossed it to one side when she entered her room. She removed her uniform and left it on the bed to enter her ensuite bathroom to wash her face. Belle checked herself in the mirror, unfastening her ponytail to claw her hair back into a bun, leaving a few strands of hair loose. Happy with it, Belle went back into her room and picked out a thin cotton dress from her wardrobe to put on. A quick glance at the clock on the bedside table, as she buttoned up the buttons that ran the length of her dress, Belle cursed seeing it was five o'clock.

She went to grab her phone from the chest of draws, but on second thought decided to leave it and left her room, wanting no interruptions during their meeting. Jogging down the hallway and down the stairs, Belle bumped into Ruby coming out of the kitchen. Belle sidestepped Ruby, who was carrying someone's order, giving Ruby a smile as she hurried through the diner and out the front door of the diner.

Belle bit her lower lip at her excitement, whilst she walked up the sidewalk towards Mr Gold's shop. The butterflies started in her stomach, when she saw the front end of Mr Gold's car, peeping out from the side of his shop. Glancing side to side at the intersection, Belle crossed the road and skipped onto the opposing sidewalk, a joyous bounce to her step. As she got nearer, Belle noticed a red sports car parked across the road by the library, similar to the one she had seen at his house, when she had dropped Albert off after the dance.

With her hand on the doorknob to his shop, Belle took a deep breath and opened the door to hear the bell ring above it. She glanced up where she had heard the bell and closed the door behind her. There was a strong smell of furniture polish as she entered the shop. Her eyes moved around the shop, taking in the different items, while she shuffled towards the shop counter. She had never ventured into his shop, seeing all the wonders in his shop Belle cursed herself not coming in sooner. As she neared the counter, Belle could hear voices in the back of the shop.

"Will you, please, talk to Albert about it?" A voice said, who sounded like Milah.

"I really don't see why, I should do your dirty work, dearie." Belle would know his voice anywhere and the tone he used with Milah.

"Because I need to sit down with him and talk to him about something." Milah told Mr Gold.

Footsteps clicked against the wooden floor before Belle saw the curtain, separating the back from the front, moved and an arm appeared to pull it back. "He's sixteen next week, Milah. He makes his own choices. If he doesn't want to talk to you, then that's his decision. Lord knows, I don't want to talk to you. Now, like I said, I'm meeting someone so would you…"

"He's changed. Since you got him that tutor, he's changed." Milah commented to Mr Gold, interrupting him. "Albert used to love it when I was in town. He would stay round my house the whole time. He would follow me everywhere. Now! He can't stand to be near me since her! Since that woman, came into his life!"

"The only person, you can blame for that, is yourself, dearie." Mr Gold told his ex-wife as he stepped through the curtains, his back to Belle. "Miss French gives him the time and care that you have never given to him. Now, if you don't mind."

"Never? Never given him?" Milah's voice rose with her annoyance.

"Before you left us, yes, you gave it to him." Belle watched him shake his head at Milah, on the other side of the doorway. "What did you think would happen when you left? What would have happened, if I had remarried? If you want to be his mother, then be his mother instead of running around the world with Killian!"

Belle began to feel uncomfortable hearing their conversation, as Milah said. "Ha! You get remarried? Rum, no one is going to marry you. I wouldn't have married you, if it wasn't for Albert and my mother."

"Seeing as you want me to do something for you, that isn't the way to be talking to me." Mr Gold sneered at Milah, as she appeared through the doorway from the back.

Milah stepped passed Mr Gold, slowly turning her head from Mr Gold to look where she was going, but stopped when she spotted Belle. "Have you been eavesdropping on our conversation?"

Belle's eyebrows rose, unsure how to answer, as Mr Gold casually turned around. "Did you not hear the bell, Milah?"

"What?" Milah asked him, watching him walk pass her to take his normal position behind the counter.

"The bell?" He gestured towards the shop door. "The bell rung, when Miss French entered. It may have been when you were too busy ranting at me." Milah grunted her annoyance and stormed out of the shop, slamming the shop door behind her, which made the bell above the door jangle violently.

Belle had watched Milah leave, her eyes remained on the door, sure Milah was about to return. Her excitement earlier was gone. Belle did not know how she felt now. She felt sorry for Milah, as she was too self-involved to realise what Albert needed from her. It seemed not everyone was born with a maternal instinct. A sad feeling settled in Belle's stomach at her thought, while she turned back to the counter, finding Mr Gold stood on the other side with his hands braced on the edge of the counter.

He stood there showing her no emotion, his gaze scrutinising her as he spoke. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Mostly what you two said in here and that she wants you to ask Ba… Albert something." She informed him whilst tightly squeezing her fingers, punishing herself for nearly saying Bae instead of Albert in front of him. Belle refused to give him an excuse to push her away.

"At least it was the nicer side of the conversation." Mr Gold shrugged his eyebrows at her before he carried on talking to her. "Now, young lady, I think we best have a conversation about last night."

"Conversation?" Belle raised an eyebrow at him.

He came around the counter and marched to the shop door to lock it and turn the sign to close, as he said to her. "Last night, I think... we got a little carried away in the moment." Mr Gold showed a brief smile to her, when he turned back to face her. "I just want to sit down and… chat."

"I've never been to the principals's office, ever in my life." Belle told him feeling uneasy, as he came to stand beside her. "But I think it would feel something like this."

"You surprise me, Miss French." He told her with a smirk and began to lead the way to the back room.

"I do?" She asked him, following behind him through the curtains into the back room.

"Yes." He answered stopping abruptly, which made her bump into him. "I thought there was bit of a naughty girl, hidden behind the bookworm." Mr Gold left her standing there and ambled away from her to his large workbench, and gestured towards an empty stool on the side nearest her. Her legs started towards the stool, whilst Belle scrunched her eyebrows down at him, pondering over his comment as she sat down onto the stool.

Belle fidgeted with a button on her dress, surveying him across the bench as he took a stool for himself. "So…"

"So…" He repeated, not feeling so confident now they sat facing each other.

"What now?" Belle asked him, twisting a button between her thumb and forefinger.

"Err… Right… This is stupid!" Mr Gold exclaimed, dropping his head into his hands. "I'm a grown man, for heaven's sake! Not a teenager!"

She shook her head at him, even though he could not see her. "It isn't stupid. It's just… something, I don't think either of us were looking for."

"Looking for?" He chuckled dropping his hands to the worktop. "I gave up on the idea of having someone in my life when Milah left me. I vowed to myself, I would never let anyone get in that position again, where they could hurt us."

"Oh." Belle muttered to herself mostly, her gaze cast down onto the worktop.

"You, though… You seem to be…" Mr Gold trailed off as he spoke, which brought Belle's attention back up to him, observing him as he fiddled with a watch piece in his hands.

"Seem to be what?" Belle asked intrigued.

His eyes shot up to meet hers before he answered. "You seem to be the exception to the rule."

Belle smiled at him. "I'm going to take that as a good thing."

"Yes," He smiled in return to her. "It's a good thing."

"So… Where do we go from here?" She asked him, leaning confidently onto the workbench, feeling more comfortable.

"Well, I was thinking perhaps dinner…?" Mr Gold suggested to her. Belle felt breathless, seeing his smile reach his eyes. He sat waiting expectantly. The longer she did not answer, the more his fingers fidgeted with the watch.

"Dinner?" Belle said to him, getting herself out of her daze.

His smile eased a little. "If you don't want to…? I know being out with me, will cause people to talk about you. You know, town mon…"

"Whoa! Stop!" She urged reaching her hands across the workbench to still his hands. "I'm not worried about that." Belle told him.

"You're not?" He asked her, his smile forgotten with a sad look in his eyes.

Belle squeezed his fingers. "The only thing worrying me is if Albert will be okay with this. Everyone else in Storybrooke can screw themselves."

"Screw themselves." He laughed repeating what she said before he became composed, gazing at her. "That must have been how you did it."

"How I did what?" She asked him as he stood off his stool and came to stand beside her.

"How you managed to get under my walls." Mr Gold stated to her with a hand coming up to cup her face. "You've got such a strength about you, an independence, which makes me awe you. And the way you care about Albert, has warmed this cold heart of mine." He gestured to his heart with his other hand. As she smiled at him, Mr Gold leaned down to her and softly kissed her lips, his thumb caressing her cheek.

When his lips parted from hers, Belle asked. "Where are we going for dinner, Mr Gold?"

"Rumald." He informed her with his thumb still caressing her cheek.

"Where are we going for dinner, Rumald?" She asked him again, enjoying the sound of his first name. Taking hold of her hand, he coaxed her to step off her stool and followed him to the back door of the shop. They halted at the door, sharing a smile between them as Rumald collected his suit jacket from the coat stand. Whilst he fed his arm into his suit jacket, Rumald opened the back door and allowed Belle to go through first as he put his other arm into the suit jacket.

Belle waited for him in the alleyway at the back of the shop, while he turned the lights off and locked the door. Pocketing his keys, Rumald held his hand out to her with a tender look on his face. As she smiled broadly at him, Belle took a firm hold of his hand and walked with him out of the alleyway, turning in the direction of his car when they got to the end. The tender look did not leave his face whilst he opened the passenger door for her, watching over her as she climbed into his car and shut the door for her. Belle's toes curled with anticipation for what was about to come.


	23. Chapter 23

The butterflies in her stomach swarmed as they pulled into the parking lot for Fazoli's, an Italian restaurant. Belle bit her bottom lip and pensively squeezed her fingers, staying quiet whilst Rumald pulled the Cadillac into a parking spot, far away from the other cars in the lot. He turned off the engine and got out of the car in one movement, leaving Belle inside the car. As she reached for the door handle of her door, the door opened wide before a hand presented itself to her. Belle swallowed hard whilst taking hold of his hand and let him help her out of the car.

Belle pulled down her dress, straightening it, while Rumald shut the car door, offering her a curt smile. Their hands remained clasped together, strolling to the entrance of the restaurant. His firm but gentle grip on her hand made Belle's skin tingle. She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye, trying to gauge whether it was having the same effect on him. Unsure what she saw, Belle pursed her lips together and fell back slightly behind him, letting him go through the door first into the restaurant.

The décor of the restaurant was very stereotypical for an Italian restaurant. However, as Belle's eyes wandered around the restaurant her apprehension built, seeing that many of the other women were more dressed for the occasion than she was. Rumald was talking to the maître-d, his free hand waved as he spoke, between himself and the other man. A nod of his head and the maître-d went off into the restaurant, calling two of the waiters to his side as he walked. Belle observed him whilst he spoke to his waiters, pointing in different directions, sending his staff off with instructions.

"You okay?" Rumald asked her, his thumb gently stroking over the back of her hand. The sensation of his warm thumb rubbing over her hand, made her squeeze her thighs together. She shuddered at the thrill, closing her eyes to enjoy it.

Opening her eyes, remembering he had asked her question, Belle leant in closer to him and said. "I feel under dressed. Isn't there a dress code?"

"Probably," He shrugged his shoulders at her. "I wouldn't worry though. I think the owner would make an exception, seeing how beautiful you are." Rumald told her, leaning towards her.

"You think I'm beautiful?" She asked him and was rewarded by a blush flooding his cheeks, which forced him to turn his face away from her. Seeing his reaction, Belle's smile was so wide, it hurt her cheeks. His shoulders rose and fell with the deep breath he took, mumbling to himself.

The maître-d returned and waved his arm in the direction he had come from. "Sir, if you would like to follow me."

They followed behind the maître-d, receiving looks from the other patrons as they passed by their table. Belle nervously clung to his hand and pulled restlessly at her dress, feeling the judgemental looks. The maître-d led them to an open doorway and stood to one side, gesturing for them to go through it. When they reached the doorway, Rumald released her hand and allowed her to go through first, talking to the maître-d whilst she went inside the room.

"That won't be a problem, sir." The maître-d said to Rumald. At hearing the maître-d, Belle angled herself to see them over her shoulder, watching the maître-d waltz off into the restaurant as Rumald came into the room. He showed a nervous smile to her, as he passed her and pulled out a chair for her, waiting for her to take a seat. Sweeping a hand down the back of her dress, Belle drew her dress close to her legs before she sat down onto the chair and edged closer to the table with Rumald's aid.

As he moved to his chair, Rumald one handily unbuttoned his suit jacket, whilst he pulled his chair out from the table. "I haven't been here in years."

"No?" Belle inquired, watching him sit down in his chair and tuck himself under the table, while she laid her napkin in her lap.

"The benefits of owning it, they deliver to my home." He informed her removing his napkin from the table to lay into his lap.

"What? You own this place?" Belle asked frowning at him.

"I told you," Rumald smirked across the table at her. "The owner would make an exception for you."

Belle shook her head in disbelief. "Is there anything in town, you don't own?"

"Let me think about it… Nope, I own the majority of the town." He told her as a waiter came into the room, presenting Rumald with a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine. Gesturing to the bottles, Rumald asked. "Which would you prefer?"

"White wine, please." She replied. The waiter jumped into action and opened the white wine, pouring a small amount into Rumald's glass for him to try.

Instead of trying it himself, Rumald picked up his glass and offered it towards Belle. "See if it's to your liking."

Taken aback by his offer, Belle took the glass from him and sipped it. She savoured the fruity taste of the wine, swirling it around in her mouth before she swallowed it. Nodding her head at him, Belle drank the last of the wine in the bottom of the glass as Rumald told the waiter to bring them the menus and take the bottle of red wine away. He reached across the table and took her empty wine glass on the table to fill it halfway with some wine, and put it down on the table in front of himself. She held her glass towards him and held it there, as he poured the wine into her glass.

"How come you didn't want to try it?" Belle asked before taking another sip of her wine.

He shrugged his shoulders at her. "I have two cases in my basement."

"Okay." She muttered more to herself than to him, as she put her glass down on the table. The waiter returned and handed them each a menu. Belle thanked the waiter with a smile and inspected the menu. An old feeling of dread suddenly dawned on her, as she read the menu Belle noticed were no prices on the menu. Memories of dates with Gaston came to mind, wining and dining her with a milkshake and burger. Belle bit her lip and frowned at the memory.

"What's wrong? Nothing taking your fancy?" Rumald asked with his wine glass held in his hand, his eyes on the menu.

Belle swallowed nervously. "No, it's not that."

"Why are you biting your lip then?" He batted another question back into her court and took a drink from his wine.

"I've just never been… wined and dined." She answered him, keeping her eyes firmly on the menu.

"Your ex never took you anywhere fancy?" He asked shifting in his seat, laying the menu on the table.

"Unless you class McDonalds as fancy, then no." Belle told him dejectedly and finally looked up at him from her menu.

He shook his head at her. "I'm fond of their strawberry milkshakes, but I would never take you there on a date."

"To be fair to him, we were at college, so neither of us had a lot of money." She defended Gaston as she reached for her glass of wine.

"That was probably because he was wining and dining other women." Rumald commented with his hands clenched into fists on the table.

"Excuse me?" She scoffed at him, nearly choking on her wine.

There was a sudden look of panic on his face before he said. "Sorry, I spoke out of turn. It's not my place to make comments about… him."

"It's okay." Belle exhaled loudly through her nose. "You're probably right. For all I know, there probably was more than one." Her brow hunched over her eyes. "Now I wish I'd slapped him more than once."

"You slapped him?" Rumald raised his eyebrows up his forehead.

Belle grimaced at him. "When you came in and saw him… Kissing me." He nodded his head. "Well, he saw you were coming, so he'd backed me up against the wall and… Well, you saw what he did. So, after you left and I realised why he did it, I slapped him." She explained and watched his eyebrows lower to press down over his eyes.

"Really, dearie?" His voice was deep as he spoke and Belle could see in his eyes that he was elsewhere. "He's left town, hasn't he?"

"I haven't seen him about." Belle responded to his question, straightening a fork in front of her on the table.

"Good." Rumald grumbled and took a long drink from his wine, near enough finishing his wine.

"Why's that good, apart from the obvious?" She asked, uncertain by his change in mood.

He took a deep breath making his shoulders rise and fall. "Otherwise, dearie, I would give him a reason to make him wish he'd left town."

Belle opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the waiter returning, asking for their orders. Snatching his menu up from the table and thrusting it towards the waiter, Rumald ordered himself a starter and main, while he topped up his glass with the wine. She briefed a smile up at the waiter and gave him her order, her eyes moving between the menu and Rumald, who was grumbling to himself as he drank his wine. As the waiter reached out to take Belle's menu, Rumald ordered another bottle of wine to which the waiter nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Left alone again, Belle played with her wine glass, twirling the wine glass by its stem, and chuckled to herself. "If only my father could see me right now."

"Why's that?" He asked shrugging off his suit jacket to hang off the back of his chair.

"Someone seated at this table has a bit of a reputation." Belle told him, while he tugged down his waistcoat.

"A bit of a reputation?" He laughed as he spoke. "I'll have you know, depending who you speak to, I am the spawn of satin."

"Yes, hence why my father forbidden me from seeing you." She said, refusing to find humour in his satin comment.

Rumald had been about to take a sip from his wine, but stopped and moved the glass away from his lips to speak. "Yet you still agreed to come out for dinner."

Her fingers ran up and down the length of a knife in front of her. "I told you, I'm sick of people telling me what to do. I decide what happens in my life. Whether my father likes that or not, is not my problem anymore. I'm tired of tidying up after him. It's time for my happiness."

"So, where does he think you are tonight? Out with Ruby?" He asked her, his voice had returned to its relaxed tone.

Belle made a face at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Wouldn't know. We haven't spoken in two weeks. Not since I packed a bag and went to Grannies." She told him, picking up her wine glass. "He thinks I should forgive Gaston and get back with him."

"And you don't want that?" Rumald queried, a slight smug look on his face as though he already knew the answer to his question.

"At this moment in time and hopefully in the future," Belle paused and looked him dead in the eye. "I'm exactly where I want to be and with who I want to be with."

He let out a shaky breath and laid his hands flat onto the table, either side of his place setting. "Just as long as you realise, I'm not a nice person. I'm probably the worse person in Storybrooke."

Disagreeing with him, she shook her head at him. "I know it's a defence." His eyebrows rose as she spoke. "I understand, somewhat, how much it must have hurt when Milah left you and Albert. And I know it's so much easier to keep people at arm's length, then to let them into your life to hurt you again."

A silence fell over them. Belle sat watching him over the table, worried she may have gone too far too soon. Across the table, he blinked his eyes rapidly down at his place setting. His shoulders slumped as if he had taken a punch to his stomach, knocking all the air out of him.

Their waiter came in and delivered their starters, leaving as quickly as he had entered. She waited until Rumald picked up his fork and dug into his food before she did the same. The silence hung over them. Mentally kicking herself, Belle forcefully stabbed into her calamari, punishing her food for her over stepping the mark. As she ate, she peeked at him from her hooded eyes, feeling cautious whilst he pushed his food around his plate. Deciding she had to do something to change his demeanour, Belle choose a subject she knew would always cheer him up.

"So, where does Albert think you are tonight?" Belle asked him, using her knife to push some food onto her fork.

At hearing her question, Rumald took a deep breath making him sit up straight in his seat, inflating himself. "He's at the movies with the Nolan's, so he's not exactly worried where I am."

"Things are going well between him and Emma." Belle stated and smiled at the thought.

"They've always been thick as thieves." He said with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Yes," She said before eating some food. "That's what's worrying Mary-Margaret."

"Why?" Rumald stopped his fork just before his mouth.

Belle tilted her head at him, amused at his dumbfounded look. "Well, I'm sorry to tell you, Rumald, but your son and Emma are kind of at that age."

"What age?" His brow scrunched together as he spoke to her.

"The age where teenagers start… experimenting." She said with a bemused look on her face, wondering how this fact had eluded Rumald.

"No!" Rumald drew out his 'no', shaking his head strongly at her. "Albert's not like that. He's a good boy."

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but your little boy is a young man." Belle giggled at him, laying her knife and fork onto her plate. Finishing off the last of his starter, Rumald carefully laid his cutlery onto his plate just as Belle did and reached for his glass of wine, taking a generous sip of it. He focused his gaze at her over the top of his glass. Feeling the intent of his look, Belle scrunched her toes up inside her shoes and played with the napkin in her lap. As he placed his empty glass on the table, the waiter came in to deliver a bottle wine and retrieved their empty plates.

Rumald picked up the previous bottle of wine, pouring the rest of wine into his glass, finishing the bottle. "Suppose I ought to have a chat with Albert."

"I think Mary-Margaret would appreciate that." Belle said and held her glass towards him, so he could refill her glass from the new bottle.

"She's not the only one, who's going to appreciate him having that chat." He told her, his eyes wide. "I don't want him making the same mistakes as me."

"What do you mean by that?" Belle asked after taking a sip from her freshly refilled glass.

He pressed his lips together in thought and then said. "I guess it's a thing that all parents… Most parents want for their children. I want him to use his brain instead of his heart or any other organ that may persuade him."

"Other organ?" Belle laughed and held a hand over her mouth. While Rumald was smiling at Belle's amusement, the waiter came in with their main courses, silent as he put their orders in front of them.

His eyes watched the waiter leave, when he was gone, Rumald said. "I like Emma. However, as well as you know, childhood sweethearts do not always last forever. If they do, I wish them all the best. But I don't want him having to make decisions, which will change his life forever like mine did when I chose to move from Scotland to here."

"Do you regret your decision?" Belle asked, digging her fork into her carbonara.

"If you were to ask the father in me, then no. Never would I regret Albert. He's my life." He proclaimed to her, scooping his fork into his risotto.

She twisted her carbonara onto her fork. "And the other part of you?"

"I regret the fool hardy young man, who drunk himself into a stupor and slept with a woman he didn't even know." He told Belle, a sad tone to his voice.

"Well, I'm grateful for that fool hardy young man, who drunk himself into a stupor." Belle stated truthfully to him and sipped from her wine.

"Why's that?" Rumald asked, while he picked up his napkin to wipe at the corner of his mouth and laid his napkin back into his lap.

"If that young man hadn't made that mistake," She began and gave him a wicked smile across the table, making him halt his hand as he lifted his wine glass. "Then I would not be sitting across from the handsome man before me."

He lowered his glass to the table, the corner of his lip tugged into half a smile, as he said. "Miss French, flattery will get you everywhere."

"One does hope." Belle lowered her gaze away from him, knowing without looking that he was grinning from ear to ear. After a few seconds, she glanced up to see he still wore a stupid grin on his face as he ate his risotto. It was nice to see him with a heartfelt smile, something that was rare on his features. She smiled whilst she ate her carbonara and sipped from her wine, meeting his eyes when they glanced up at each other from their meals.

Rumald was the first to finish his meal and sat back into his seat, nursing his glass of wine. She could feel his gaze on her. It was surreal to be sat having dinner with a man, she had spent so many months fantasying about, longing to have a private moment together. As she took some food into her mouth, Belle peeped at him and slowly withdrew her fork from her mouth. His left eyebrow raised at her, a cocky smirk on his lips, while he shifted in his seat. Pleased with his reaction, Belle laid her fork onto her plate, giving him a satisfied smile.

"Do you want desert?" His voice was low when he asked her.

"Hmm…" Belle murmured in thought. "I think I've actually had enough to eat, thank you."

Rumald lent forward onto the table, sliding his wine glass away from him with two fingers on the base of the glass. "Depends on your definition of desert."

It was Belle's turn to raise an eyebrow at him. Rumald opened his mouth about to speak, as the waiter came into the room, and closed his mouth, rolling his eyes. The waiter collected their plates and stood beside their table.

"Would you like anything else, sir? Deserts? Coffee?" The waiter asked, shifting from one foot to the other.

"No, I think the young lady and I are done for the night." Rumald told the waiter, pushing his chair back to stand up. "Tell the chef, as always, it was delicious."

"Of course, sir." The waiter bowed his head before he left them. Belle breathed in and held her breath, when Rumald touched her shoulder. Too quickly, his hand was gone. She angled her head to see him waiting to pull her chair back. Shifting her weight on the chair, Rumald guided the chair out from underneath her as Belle stood up and stepped away from the table.

Belle waited for him whilst he collected his suit jacket from back of his chair, shrugging it onto his shoulders as he joined her near the doorway. He pulled at the lapels of his suit jacket before he buttoned it, his eyes never leaving hers. As he stepped nearer, closing the gap between them, Belle bit her lip as his hand came up to touch her cheek. Her heart fluttered whilst he leaned into her, his lips ever so close to hers when he stilled.

"What have I told you about that?" He asked her, his lips lightly touching her lips when he spoke.

"What?" Belle countered, her eyes searching his but finding nothing to answer her question.

"Biting that lip of yours. It does the most ungodly of things to me." Rumald informed her and then captured her lips. Her knees gave, allowing her weight to slump against him. Feeling her weight against him, Rumald wrapped his free arm around her, holding her tightly against his body. Slowly he withdrew his lips from hers, but lingered near her, his breath washing over her face.

"Are you sure about that desert?" He whispered to her. Her eyes widened at his question. There were so many emotions in his eyes Belle could not distinguish them. There was no other way for her to answer, apart from to smile up at him. Seeing her smile, he returned it before dropping his hand from her face to take hold of her hand. They walked out the private room into the main part of the restaurant.

Nearing the foyer, a voice called to Rumald. They stopped together and Rumald twisted to see who was calling him. Under his breath, Belle heard him curse and let go of her hand to go to whoever called him. She followed him to watch him greet an older woman with a hug and kissed her cheek.

"Gladius." Rumald said in greeting.

Gladius patted him on his back as they hugged. "I was disappointed that I didn't see you or my grandson at the family dinner two weeks ago."

"Sorry, something came up." He told her whilst they parted.

"As long as nothing comes up next week." Gladius said, pointing her finger at him. "I will not have you mess up my plans for my grandson's birthday dinner."

"I promise we'll be there." Rumald told her, reaching up to touch her upper arm in reassurance.

Gladius smiled kindly at him before her gaze went to Belle. "Are you going to introduce us?"

"Oh, yes." Rumald angled himself between the two women. "Gladius, this is Belle French."

"Ah! Albert speaks very highly of you." Gladius said as she offered her hand towards Belle.

Belle smiled warmly at the older woman and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Gladius."

"Seeing as you seem to be a big part of my grandson's life now, I would like to invite you to his birthday dinner." Gladius said with a smile.

Rumald looked alarmed. "That is, if Belle wants to come."

"Oh, I would like very much for you to come, Miss French." Gladius said and leant in towards Belle. "Anything to please my boys and upset my daughter." Belle stood stunned as Gladius said farewell to them both and ambled off back to her table. Rumald let a heavy sigh out and guided Belle out of the restaurant, guiding her back to his car. As he opened the passenger door for her, Belle came out of her daze and gazed up at him.

"I take it that was Milah's mother." Belle said to him.

He visibly swallowed. "Yes."

"And now I'm coming to dinner next week." Belle stated more to herself than to him.

"Yes, you are." Rumald lightly touched her arm. Nodding her head at herself, Belle stepped into his car and Rumald closed the door behind her. In seconds, his driver's door opened and he got into the car and closed the door. He started the car, reversed out of the space and drove out of the parking lot, heading aimlessly down the street, wanting to put some space between them and the restaurant.

He sheepishly glanced over at her. "Where do you want to go?"

"Can…" Belle looked at him beside her. "Can you take me to Grannies, please?"

"If that's what you want." He said to her, to which she nodded her head. They drove in silence to Grannies. It did not take him long to get there, pulling up to the kerb in front of the diner. Rumald shoved the car into park and left the motor running. He shifted in the seat to face her, slinging his arm over the back of the front seat.

"I had a lovely time, Rumald." Belle told him, reaching for the door latch.

"I'm glad you had a good time." Rumald said, using his hand over the back of the seat to move some hair behind her ear. Briefly, she smiled at him and opened her door, stepping out into the cool night air. Looking up at Grannies, Belle knew she did not want the night to end. She stooped down to see him inside the car and was pleased to see the look on his face mirrored how she felt.

"Hey," Belle said making him jump. "Do you want to come in?"

"Really?" He said as his voice rose an octave.

"Oh, well, if you don't want to…" She let her voice trail off and stood up straight, closing the car door. Her little ploy worked, as no sooner had she shut the car door, Rumald had turned off the engine and exited his car to join her on the sidewalk. She giggled at him as he stood beside her, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. The wide grin he wore encouraged one of her own, while they walked up the path to Grannies and climbed the steps onto the small porch. Rumald opened the door for her and followed her inside, both of them ignoring the looks everyone gave them as they walked through to the B&B stairs.


	24. Chapter 24

There was a faint knock from the door to Belle's room. The sound from the door stirred Belle from her sleep. Peeking out from her hooded eyes at the clock, she groaned snuggling into her pillow and clutched the covers closer. As she lay there with her eyes closed, Belle dreamt back over last night, her skin tingled as she reminisced where his hands and lips had touched her. Just the thought of him, made her involuntarily curl her toes, clutch her thighs together and drew her legs up to her chest. It was if it had been Belle's first time as he invoked sensations in her, which Gaston had never been able to do to her.

Another knock came from her door. Frowning to herself with her eyes closed, Belle wondered whether she should ignore the knock or get out of bed to answer it. She opened her eyes and turned onto her back, her hand instinctively reaching beside her to find him. When she did not find him beside her, Belle sat bolt upright in the bed, the covers fell to reveal her bare chest, whilst she hurriedly glanced around the room for any sign of him. His clothes and shoes were gone. The only thing that lingered of him was the faint smell of him on her skin.

Whoever was on the other side of her door knocked again and louder. With the thought it could be him, Belle leapt out of her bed, throwing the covers back, and snatched up a discarded t-shirt from a nearby chair. Roughly, she pulled the t-shirt over her head and slid her arms into it, hurrying over to her door as someone knocked the door. Belle paused on the other side of the door and flicked her hair out from her t-shirt, quickly flattening her hair.

Taking a deep breath, Belle snatched open the door and smiled, expecting Rumald on the other side of the door. Her smile left her face when she saw it was Ruby, holding two cups of coffee. Ruby quirked an eyebrow at Belle, when she saw her friend's reaction. Disappointedly, Belle shuffled away from the door leaving it open for Ruby to enter behind her. Ruby stepped into Belle's room and shoved the door close with her shoulder, whilst Belle climbed back into her bed and covered herself in the covers.

"You don't have to look so disappointed to see me, ya know?" Ruby told her coming over to the bed to sit onto it, holding a cup of coffee out to Belle.

"Sorry, I was just hoping… expecting it to be someone else." Belle mumbled down at her cup of coffee that she cradled between her hands.

"Yes, I know who you're expecting." Ruby smirked and blew over her cup of coffee. "I take it, by the way you two ran off up here that your little meeting went well."

Belle could not help the grin that yanked at the corner of her lips. "Maybe."

"Don't you give me that! Come on, spill." Ruby urged kicking off her shoes to cross her legs up onto the bed. Belle giggled at her friend, while her phone beeped from bedside table behind her. She twisted and awkwardly claimed her phone from the table, swiping her thumb over the screen to unlock it. Sipping from her coffee, Belle wore a small smile seeing a message on her phone from Rumald.

' _Sorry I left like I did. You looked so peaceful and beautiful. I will try and see you later.'_

Furiously her thumbs typed out a reply to his text message, thanking him for a nice evening and telling him how she looked forward to seeing him. The phone made a click noise after Belle pressed the lock button on the side of the phone and discarded it to the bed. Ruby sat waiting for Belle to say something, smiling at her friend's happiness.

Her eyes wandered to her phone, anticipating a reply from him, as she said to Ruby. "We chatted briefly in his shop and then we went for dinner."

"Dinner? Where did you go?" Ruby leaned forward, towards Belle, genuinely interested.

"He took me to Fazoli's." Belle smiled at Ruby, her eyes on her phone from the corner of her eye.

"Oh my god! That place is expensive!" Ruby awed and held her hand over her mouth.

"Not when you own it." Belle shrugged her eyebrows at Ruby and took a sip from her coffee, while her phone beeped. They both looked at her phone. Slowly their gazes met, a cheeky glint was in Ruby eyes, before they lunged for the phone. A small fight ensued over the phone. Both of them had a hold of the phone as they tugged it back and forth.

"Ruby!" Belle shrieked keeping hold of the phone, worried she would spill her coffee on herself and the bed. With a prod to Belle's ribs using her foot, Ruby won the tug of war and nearly knocked Belle off the bed. Ruby scrambled to her feet and ran to the other side of the room, placing her cup of coffee on the chest of draws as she passed it. Frantic, Belle quickly put her coffee down on the bedside table to run over to Ruby.

"I can't stop thinking about you." Ruby gushed reading out the message, while she kept Belle at arm's length. "Especially how you bite your lower lip."

"Ruby! Give me my phone!" Belle shouted, as she alternated between fighting Ruby and trying to grab her phone.

"Awe… He's thinking about you." Ruby playfully mocked and held Belle's phone against her chest, faking a happy sob.

Belle shook her head, swatting Ruby's arm out of the way, and grabbed hold of her phone to yank it out of Ruby's grip. "Behave yourself!"

Wandering away from Ruby, Belle typed a prompt reply to him with a small grin, telling him how she was day dreaming about how he looked in his t-shirt and jeans. She slid onto the bed and flung the covers back over her legs, while she put her phone safely on the bedside table beside her. The bed shifted under Ruby's weight as she sat onto the bed, sipping from her coffee. Belle half-heartedly glared at Ruby over the top of her coffee cup, finishing off the last of the coffee.

"You know what's funny," Ruby started to say leaning over to take Belle's empty cup from her. "A few months ago, you told me he was an ass and rude. Now, you're dating him."

Belle sighed happily before she told Ruby. "Why don't you go and be productive, and make us some breakfast?"

"I'll go make us some breakfast, as long as you finish telling me about last night." The cups in her hand chinked together as Ruby shifted off the bed. Belle rolled her eyes at Ruby watching her leave her room. Ruby paused with the door open to shine a smile at Belle and then slipped out of the room closing the door behind her.

Settling back into her pillows, Belle collected her phone and unlocked it, rereading his messages as she bit her lip. It was true what Ruby had said. She had gone from cursing him for being her father's landlord to dreaming about ripping off his clothes. How he managed to change her mind, she would never know but she would be forever grateful. Whatever was developing between them, Belle could only hope it lasted a lot longer compared to what she had with Gaston.

Her thoughts wandered from him to Albert to Gladius and remembered she had been invited to Albert's birthday dinner. Belle groaned knowing Milah was going to be there. Irritated by the thought of her, she scooted across the bed leaving her phone on the bed and went into the bathroom to turn the shower on. As she took the t-shirt off over the top of her head, Belle tried to decide whether she should wear something out of her wardrobe or buy something new. The spray of the shower drowned out the sound of Belle's phone ringing in the other room, and made her miss a phone call from him.


	25. Chapter 25

The promise of coming to see her later never amounted to anything. After having her shower the day before, she had picked up her phone hoping to see another message from him, but her mood had soured seeing he had tried to call her. After returning his call several times, she had only had the pleasure of talking to his voicemail and had promised herself, if she said 'hello' one more time to his voicemail, when she heard his voice say 'hello', she would scream. Her hand had spent the day glued to her phone, waiting for him to return her call or message her. Ruby had tried to poke fun at Belle, but had quickly buttoned her mouth, when she had received a death glare from Belle.

Sitting in a booth near the back of Grannies, Belle sat refilling the condiments, glancing to her phone lying on the table. She glared at her phone, willing it to beep, ring or vibrate. Any sign that he thought of her, that he wanted to talk to her or cried to be with her. The temptation to message or call him that morning burned in her fingertips. Knowing she had left him over ten messages and five missed calls, Belle held herself back from contacting him further, wanting not to look too desperate. Her brain's decision was not helping the ache in her heart.

She screwed the lid onto another saltshaker, her eyes focused on her phone. Saddened that most of the day had already passed and there was still no contact from him, Belle began to grumble to herself and snatched another saltshaker from the endless queue in front of her on the table. After unscrewing the lid, she slammed the shaker down on the table, causing a few of the patrons and Grannie to cast their gazes over to her. Embarrassed by her outburst, Belle held her hand over her eyes and mumbled at herself under her breath.

Dropping her hand from her face, Belle began to pour the salt into the shaker as her mind surmised he must have changed his mind. He had time to think and had decided she was not meant for him. Maybe Rumald had realised, there was too great an age gap between them. Maybe he had got what he wanted… Distracted by her thoughts, Belle had not noticed she had overfilled the saltshaker and was pouring the salt over the table. It was not until the salt seeped off the edge of the table into Belle's lap, did she realise what she was doing.

"Oh god!" Belle cried putting the box of salt to one side, her eyes on the salt in her lap.

Ruby appeared at her side. "Oh, Belle, what're you doing?"

"Making a mess!" She told Ruby, her voice conveying her annoyance. Gathering the edges of her apron, Belle used her apron as a canopy to carry the salt in her lap, as she slid out of the seat of the booth. Belle growled at Ruby before she stamped off towards the kitchen and shoulder barged her way into the kitchen to dump the pile of salt into the bin.

As she came out of the kitchen wiping her hands down the front of her apron, Belle met Ruby on the other side of the door. "Belle, why don't you go and get changed? Your shift is nearly over anyway."

"Let me clean up my mess and then I'll go and get changed." Belle said, while she moved around Ruby to go into the diner.

"No, no, it's fine." Ruby urged touching Belle's arm. "I know you're a little distracted. Don't worry about it. Go and get changed before Emma and Al turn up."

Admitting defeat, Belle's shoulders fell conveying to Ruby she had won. The sight of it encouraged a smile from Ruby, watching her friend trudge her way up the stairs. As she climbed the stairs, Belle reached behind her and pulled at the bow of her apron to remove it. She clutched the apron into her hand, while she unlocked her bedroom door and entered. Quickly she changed into jeans and a t-shirt and hung her uniform onto the front of the wardrobe.

Belle left her room and went back down the stairs in time to see Emma and Albert enter Grannies. They were smiling at one another, their hands loosely holding the others, while they stood near the doorway. A small sprang of jealousy dug into Belle's chest at the sight before her. She knew what they were feeling. She had felt it on Saturday night while she had been out with Rumald.

Holding her head up high, Belle forced a smile upon her face as she crossed the diner to her young friends. Albert was the first to spot her, his smile widened with his eyes softening to her. Just seeing the way he looked at her, was enough for Belle to forget about her small heartache for his father.

Emma shifted the strap on her shoulder for her bag. "Library?"

"Sure." Belle replied with a smile, gesturing with her hands towards the door behind them. They both turned and went back out through the door with Belle following behind them. A call for Belle made her stop in the doorway, holding the door open as she turned to see Ruby run towards her with Belle's phone held out for her to grab. Rolling her eyes at her forgetfulness, Belle took her phone from Ruby and mouthed a thank you, while she backed out of the doorway onto the porch outside.

"I still can't believe it." Emma said to Albert.

Intrigued by what Emma said, Belle clambered down the steps behind them to join them, shoving her phone into her pocket as she said. "Can't believe what?"

"My mother causing trouble again." Albert grumbled with his grip on his bag tightening. They moseyed out of the outside area of Grannies to the sidewalk and steadily strolled up the sidewalk before crossing the street at the intersection.

"Trouble?" Belle frowned at Albert beside her. Looking passed Albert and Emma, Belle could see Rumald's car parked beside his shop, taunting her that he was only a breath away.

Albert sighed loudly before he spoke. "She turned up yesterday morning and was shouting and screaming at my dad."

"She wasn't just shouting and screaming." Emma added and Belle noticed how Emma's eyes were wide as she remembered. "She was throwing things around the house and threw your dad's phone at his head."

"What?" Belle almost yelled at them, her eyes darting between them and Rumald's shop behind them.

"I've never seen her like that before." Albert began to tell them, starting across the next crossing towards the library. "She was pretty upset about something."

Belle hurried to catch up with Albert, coming close to his side as he stepped onto the other sidewalk of the library. "Is he okay?"

"Who? My dad?" Albert asked reaching for the library door to open it and held it open for them.

"Yes!" She asked him, her voice pleading with him.

Albert narrowed his eyes at her, his brow furrowed. "Apart from a broken phone and cut above his eye, he's fine. Annoyed he has to wait for his new phone, but fine."

Belle's eyebrows rose at the new information. All the dread she had felt earlier melted, when she heard his phone was broken. A giggle escaped before she pressed her fingers over her mouth, a giddy feeling swept over her. While she was in a world of her own, Albert shook his head at her and directed Belle through the library door with an arm around her shoulders, joining Emma inside the library.

They led Belle over to empty study table and dumped their bags onto the table to pull out chairs for themselves. Hearing the scrapes of their chairs, Belle woke from her daydream to slide into one of the chairs at the table and dug her phone out of her pocket as it awkwardly pressed into her leg. Albert and Emma were taking their notebooks and books out of their bags, while Belle subconsciously rubbed her thumb over her phone.

"I really don't see why we've got to read Shakespeare." Emma moaned as she opened her copy of Romeo and Juliet.

Albert shrugged his shoulders at her. "At least we got to watch the film in class. I understand what everyone is talking about now."

They both waited expectantly for Belle to add something to their conversation. She was biting down on her thumbnail, her eyes peering through the blinds to see Rumald's shop. A part of her wanted to run out of the library and into his shop to see if he was all right for herself. The other part of her wanted her to remain calm and be normal, especially as they had not discussed when to tell Albert and he apparently was still none the wiser.

"You know, I think they should let us do a paper on Fifty Shades of Grey." Albert projected his voice in an attempt to get Belle's attention. "The wordplay and description just make it so vivid."

Belle stared at Albert across the table before she exclaimed. "What!"

"Modern day masterpiece." Emma chided in with a smirk.

"What the hell are you two on about?" Belle scrunched her brow down over her eyes. "The writing in it is not that brilliant. I will say it is well described and a lot better than the film, but it is nothing to compare to Shakespeare or other authors in his league."

"Oh, so you've read it and watched the film." Albert leaned forward, showing Belle his inherited cheeky grin from his father.

Her brow shot up her forehead. "What?"

"I think you've got her attention now." Emma laughed as she highlighted some lines in her book.

Albert picked up his copy of Romeo and Juliet and held it towards Belle. "We got to write an essay on the time scale that Romeo and Juliet fall in love." He scanned a piece of paper with his finger before saying. "Is it plausible that a love story of this magnitude could take place so quickly?"

"Interesting question." Belle muddled over the question, letting her phone drop from her hands onto the table, and took the book from him.

"I don't see why not." Emma said turning a page in her book. "My mum and dad said it was love at first sight."

"Love is just a weapon people use to get what they want and to hurt people, like my mother did to my father. Broke his heart." Albert sadly said to them, scribbling on the front of his notebook.

Belle felt uneasy talking about Albert's parents. "Love is delicate, Albert, and there are many forms of love. Sometimes it doesn't work out, like for your parents. But like for Emma's parents, they believe they had love at first sight."

"That's just a chemical reaction. Our natural instinct is to reproduce." He told her matter-of-factly.

"Yes, you're right. There is a natural instinct." Belle dropped the book onto the table as she carried on. "But love is more than just an attraction. It's a… It's a…"

"A want!" Emma interjected smiling at Albert, who rolled his eyes at her.

"No, love is not a want. It's a need. A physical and mental need to be with that person. An uncontrollable hunger for them." She explained to them.

"Dad's right." Albert reached across and snatched his book from in front of Belle. "You read too many books."

Belle chuckled. "Really? Is that what your dad thinks?"

"Yeah, says that's why you daydream too much." He told her as he flicked through his book looking for his marker.

"And this daydreamer knows the answer to your essay question." She smiled smugly at him. Belle loved seeing Albert like this, showing how much he was like his father, from looks to attitude.

"What's the answer then?" Emma asked hopeful for some insight.

"Nope." Belle shook her head at them. "I read too many books and daydream."

Albert smiled. "Come on, you know I don't think that. Tell us, please."

"Okay, as you said please." Belle leaned forward onto the table with her elbows. "You can't think of this question in terms of real life on time scale, but it does have significance to real life."

"Why did you have to tease her, now she's confusing us?" Emma elbowed Albert beside her.

"No, I'm not. Just listen to me." Belle smiled at Emma and continued. "If you just read the play, you could imagine that it took place over a couple of weeks. But if you go through the motions, their love affair happens in four days." Emma took notes as Belle spoke, while Albert sat relaxed with his arms resting over his notebook. "With all the drama and the family situation, it heightens their feelings for one another. A forbidden love, which is under pressure by both families."

Albert squinted his eyes as he thought aloud. "So… In some ways, it's like telling someone they can't have something, so that person cries out more for it. Like an addict after a fix."

"How did you get from love story to drugs?" Emma asked him, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I watched Trainspotting last night." Albert shared with them and crossed his arms in front of him on the table.

"A bit extreme, Bae, but I can see why you thought that." Belle said to him.

Emma frowned at Albert. "Your dad let you watch Trainspotting?"

"Not exactly." Albert mumbled. "He went to bed early."

"Anyway!" Belle exaggerated when she spoke to bring their focus to her and save Albert from saying something, she would have to tell his father. "Forget the time scale of the story for now and think about how the pressure would effect a situation."

Emma pouted her lips in thought and then said. "Either way you look at it, with the time or not, there's a significance to every moment between Romeo and Juliet."

"Yes, Emma, just keep thinking along those lines." Belle nodded her head and smiled at Emma.

"I really don't get this. It's just a stupid story." Albert grumbled at them.

Belle touched his arm. "It's not a stupid story and you're too clever to not get this." She shifted in her seat to face him. "Okay, say your father said you couldn't see Emma again and her parents the same about you. Would you be happy about that?"

"No." Albert sat up straighter hearing the scenario.

"That's what you need to think about when you're looking at this essay question." Belle told him, squeezing his arm. "Romeo and Juliet are told by everyone that they can't be together. So, if you imagine them feeling the same about that as you, then you have the answer to the question."

"Every moment is precious." Albert said, sounding as though he was reciting it.

"What?" Emma questioned with her highlighted posed ready to highlight a line in her book.

"Something my dad used to say to me." He told her opening his notebook and began writing on a blank page.

Sitting back into her chair, Belle slowly turned her head to allow herself to gaze at his shop through the blinds of the window. When she saw the shop opening, Belle sat up and watched Rumald exit his shop, closing the door behind him. He paused at the shop door with his back to her. She watched him intently as he sauntered from the shop door to his car. As he opened the driver's door to his car, Rumald looked over at the library and then down the street in the direction of Grannies before he climbed into his car.

"Your dad's closing the shop early, where's he going?" Belle asked, straining to watch the black Cadillac drive away.

"End of the month… So… It's probably council meeting." Albert said distantly as he scribbled in his notebook, glancing between a section in the book and his notebook. The kids did not miss the heavy breath she released through her nose. Belle waved their attention away and picked up her phone to light up the locked screen, smiling at the picture of Rumald and his son from their trip to New York. The feeling in her chest squeezed, the longing to talk to him was slowly overpowering her.


	26. Chapter 26

Glancing at the clock beside her bed, Belle winched at the display on the clock when she saw it was half ten at night. She flicked through the pages of her book and decided to read up to the next chapter, as there was not many pages left until the end of her current chapter. Belle settled back further into her pillows and searched for the spot she had gotten to on the page. As she read, Belle smirked at Albert's comment about what Rumald had been saying about her. Before, it probably would have annoyed her, but knowing how he felt about her, the comment only amused Belle. Belle turned the page in her book whilst she shifted onto her side, repositioning her pillow to support her head. Her attention was elsewhere, as she read the words on the page and followed along with the story.

After an hour and a half in the library, they had parted ways outside of the library when Emma had to go home. Albert and Belle had gone to Grannies and had chatted over a milkshake, chatting about school and the movie that he had seen at the weekend with Emma and her parents. Albert had abruptly changed the subject to his mother, airing out his annoyances about her. Belle listened quietly to him and allowed him to vent to her. When it had been time for him to go, Belle had hugged him tightly and whispered into his ear that she was there for him no matter what happened, and made it clear to him he could call her any time.

Knowing she was not paying attention to her book, Belle collected her bookmark from the bedside table and marked her page in the book. She slid the book onto the bedside and sat up on the bed, slinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Stretching her arms above her head, Belle rose from the bed and strolled around it to go into her bathroom. Belle picked up her toothbrush and squeezed some toothpaste onto her toothbrush before she put it into her mouth and began brushing her teeth. In the mirror, she looked at her reflection and combed some loose hair behind her ear.

Mid brushing her teeth, Belle paused her brushing to listen and heard her phone ringing in the other room. She quickly walked out of the bathroom and flopped onto the bed, her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth, as she grabbed her phone from beside her book. Her thumb instantly swiped the screen to answer the call and held the phone to her ear, missing the caller id.

"Hello." Belle mumbled into her phone with her mouth full of toothpaste.

"That's a very interesting tone to your voice." He said in amusement. When she heard his voice, Belle excitedly cried down the phone and climbed off the bed to run back into the bathroom, and spat out the toothpaste into the sink. Belle could hear his voice faintly calling hello from the phone, as she rinsed her mouth of the remnants of the toothpaste.

Hurriedly Belle put the phone back to her ear. "Hello!"

"What was that noise? Sounded like you stuck the phone in water." Rumald told her.

"You caught me brushing my teeth." Belle explained after wiping her mouth on a towel and waltzed out of the bathroom to hop onto the bed.

"Getting ready for bed, are we?" He asked.

Belle smiled at the tone of his voice. "I'm already ready for bed. Just hadn't brushed my teeth yet."

"Shame." His voice sounded disappointed. "Anyway, did you get my flowers?"

"What flowers?" She asked frowning at his question.

"I ordered you some flowers this morning…" Belle raised her eyebrows when he paused. "Right, yes! Stupid! God sakes!"

She pulled the end of her vest down, covering her stomach that was on show. "What're you on about?"

He groaned down the phone. "I ordered some flowers to be brought to you this morning, as an apology for not seeing you yesterday."

"Okay…" Belle laid her arm over her chest, resting just underneath her breasts.

"I stupidly ordered them from the only florist in town, your father."

"Oh!" Her hand instantly raised to her mouth, suppressing the laugh that cried to get out.

"I guess that's it then." He stated to her, his voice humorous. "I can never buy you flowers."

"It's the thought that counts." She giggled and then sobered by biting her lip. "You could have just came and saw me at lunch."

Rumald sighed. "I would have, but I had a watch piece to finish, which was being collected at two. And then I had the stupid council meeting to attend."

Belle relaxed back into the pillows. "Albert told me about Milah. What was it about?"

"I think the easier question would be what wasn't it about?" He sounded irritated as he spoke. In the background, Belle heard a chink sound and water being poured. While he was quiet, Belle took the chance to take the phone away from her face and saw the caller id was Albert's.

"Have you stolen your son's phone?" She asked him and could hear the distinct sound of the lid being screw back onto the whiskey bottle.

"I haven't stolen it. I've borrowed it." He informed her.

Belle smiled. "Does he know you've got it?"

"He's fast asleep upstairs in the house. I'm in the garage."

"Come on, what was up with Milah?" Belle said bringing the subject back to Milah. "Whatever went on, has really affected Albert. He was not his usual happy self today."

"Hang on." There was silence for a second before Belle heard Rumald groaned distantly and a chorus of chinking.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a frown.

"Sorry, I just hopped onto the workbench." He said and cleared his throat, away from the phone. "Erm… Milah… Yeah, I'm not entirely sure what was going on."

Belle's frown deepened. "Albert said she was shouting at you."

"I'd just gotten up and had come downstairs to make breakfast. I was messaging you and making a cup of tea, when she burst through the front door." He explained to her. In her mind, she could imagine him waving his free hand around as he told the story. "She was shouting about everything and anything. Things from when we were married and getting divorced."

"You didn't know she was coming round then?" Belle asked him, shifting on the bed to get more comfortable.

"Not a clue. I wouldn't have been stood in the kitchen, in just my pyjama bottoms if I knew." Rumald disclosed to her. The image of him walking around his kitchen in just his pyjama bottoms and bare chested made Belle bite her lip as she smiled. Now she did not know whether she preferred the image of him in his jeans and t-shirt or pyjama bottoms.

"Belle?" Rumald called to her, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Oh, sorry." She apologised feeling a blush at her cheeks. "So, she wasn't shouting about anything specific?"

He chuckled. "From what I gathered, she was pissed that I hadn't spoken to Albert yet. Hence bringing up things from before, when I wouldn't do what she commanded."

"I was worried that maybe her mother or someone had told her about us." Belle confessed to him.

"We're an – us – are we?" Rumald questioned in a playful tone.

"Unless you want me to give Gaston a call." She smirked as she baited him.

His groan down the phone was animalistic before he said. "Don't play with me, young lady. Otherwise, I'll come down there."

Belle laughed. "Promises, promises."

"It is when I'm wearing my t-shirt and jeans." Rumald said seductively.

"Oh, I've gone passed that now." She told him, tugging at the hem of her top when she shifted on the bed. "All I can think about is you in your pyjama bottoms now."

"I don't think Mrs Potts would appreciate me, turning up to Grannies, wearing only my pyjama bottoms." He laughed as he spoke to her, with a beeping sound in the background. "Albert's phone is dying. I'll have to go in a minute."

"When's your phone turning up?" Belle asked starting to feel gloomy at the thought of him ending the call.

"Fingers crossed tomorrow." He told her.

As she leaned to look at the clock, Belle was amazed to see it was half past eleven, whilst she asked. "Albert said you've got a cut above your eye?"

"Yeah and some bruising that started coming out today." Rumald informed her.

"How did she get your phone off you?" Belle asked turning onto her side and drew her knees up, putting herself into the foetal position.

"It was actually your fault." She raised an eyebrow at his statement. "When you called me back, she saw your caller id and grabbed it from the counter, and threw it across the kitchen at me. That was when she ranted about you and how you had kidnapped our son. Just a load of bullshit."

"I'm guessing if she knew about us, then she would have said something." Belle surmised to him.

"I think if she knew, she would've tried to decapitate me." Rumald joked.

Belle chuckled at his joke half-heartedly, slightly upset by the idea of Milah hurting him. "Anyway, I better go to sleep. Am I going to see you tomorrow?"

"I got some meetings in the morning and a few things to sort out at the shop, but I will try and pop by Grannies. I promise." Rumald said to her.

"Okay." Belle bit her lip nervously before she said. "Night, Rumald."

"Good night, Belle." Ending the call, Belle grinned stupidly to herself as she placed her phone on the bedside table. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, feeling more at ease after hearing his voice. With the thought of him in his pyjama bottoms, Belle reached up to the light switch and turned the lights off, whilst she tucked herself under the covers to settle down for the night.


	27. Chapter 27

That morning, Belle had woken up with a smile on her face and it had not left her face all day. Ruby had commented on the spring in Belle's step, as she had literally been dancing around Grannies taking orders, serving customers and cleaning the tables. Not even Leroy's grumpiness could dampened her mood, moaning about everything from weather to Belle's cheery mood. She had simply smiled at his comments and served his coffee and donut to him at the counter. It had not even mattered to her, when lunchtime had come and gone and Rumald had still not been to see her. Her high from their phone call was too high for anything to sour it.

As she had wiped down the counter, clearing away an abandoned coffee cup and plate, Belle had looked up when the door had opened and watched a couple enter the diner, talking to each other about something they had witnessed outside on the street. Curiously raising an eyebrow at them, Belle took the dirty cup and plate to the kitchen, her smile had returned by the time she had pushed through the door into the kitchen. She deposited the cup and plate onto the side and removed her notepad and pen from her apron, backing into the kitchen door to open it. Belle flicked the cover of her notepad open, whilst she crossed the diner to the couple, coming to standstill beside their table.

"Welcome to Grannies." Belle greeted with her pen posed ready for their order. "What can I get you?"

"I'll just have a burger and fries, please." The man told Belle, pulling his arm out of his coat to fold it onto the seat beside him.

The woman scanned over the menu before ordering. "I'll have the lasagne, please."

"Okay, would you like any drinks?" Belle asked as she wrote their order onto her notepad. Whilst she was writing, the door to Grannies yanked opened with such force it made the blind clatter against the door. The sound drew Belle's attention to the door to see Ruby run into the diner slightly out of breath.

"Belle," Ruby called to her, her eyes moving between the customers and Belle, and beckoned Belle to come closer with a quick wave of her hand. "You need to come outside!"

"Excuse me." Belle said to the customers and followed Ruby out of the door onto the porch outside. As she exited the diner, Belle could hear distant shouting coming from nearby.

Ruby grabbed hold of Belle's elbow and led her down the steps, taking the notepad and pen off Belle. "Your father's shouting at Mr Gold."

"What?" Belle exclaimed at Ruby, but did not wait for an answer as she ran off down the street towards where the shouting was coming from. Nearing the next intersection, she could see several people were gathering either side of the street, near where her father's shop was located. She ran across the intersection, hastily checking either way for cars as she ignored the 'Do Not Cross' sign.

When she was closer, she could hear her father shouting. "Are you seeing my daughter?"

"I see your daughter nearly every day." Rumald replied in a stern but playful voice. "We do live in the same town."

"Don't you be clever with me!" Her father shouted, thrusting his finger in accusation towards Rumald. Belle pushed through the gathered people, pausing when she came face to face with her red-faced father and Rumald's scowled face.

"I can't help that, Mr French. You just make it so easy." Rumald smiled at her father. Just as Maurice was about to launch himself at Rumald, Belle jumped in between them with her back to Rumald, one of her hands lightly touched Rumald's chest while her other hand was held up in front of her to stop her father's movement. Maurice stumbled seeing Belle in front of him and slowly lowered his hands to his sides.

"Belle!" Maurice cried. "What're you doing?"

"I'm not going to let you do something stupid. Just go back into your shop." Belle said to him, feeling Rumald's gentle hand on her lower back.

"Me do something stupid? What are you doing with him?" Maurice flung his hand in Rumald direction as he added. "This beast!"

Rumald pressed against her hand, when he went to step forward. "If you want to see a beast, Mr French, I can show you one!"

"Go on then! Show me!" Maurice taunted Rumald and grabbed Belle's wrist to yank her out of the way.

Belle fought her father off and shoved him backwards towards his shop. "Get in your shop!"

"No! He's taken you away from me! He's corrupted you! Put a spell on you!" Maurice emphasised as he pointed his finger at Rumald.

"The only person, who has taken her away from you, is yourself." The tone in Rumald's voice made Belle look over her shoulder at him, shuddering when she felt him clutch her arms to guide her to one side, removing the divide between her father and Rumald. "You want her to be with a man, who disregarded her for another woman. If she was my daughter, I would kill any man who'd done that to her. Not welcome him into my home and tell her to forgive him."

Maurice's eyebrows pressed down over his eyes. "You're old enough to be her father!"

"That might be true, but it's not your decision. It's about her, not you." Rumald said gesturing towards Belle beside him. It was strange to hear her father and Rumald argue about her. Though it was nice for Belle to hear someone fighting her corner for once, putting her first. For so long she had supported her father, been there for him through thick and thin, only for him to fail her when she had needed his support the most.

"I won't stand for this!" Maurice shouted at Rumald and lunged forward to grab hold of the lapels of Rumald's suit jacket. In one movement, Rumald had broken out of Maurice's hold and shoved the bigger man backwards into the wall of Maurice's shop. Rumald's hand clenched at Maurice's throat, causing him to gag for breath.

"Now… You're going to listen to me." Rumald's voice was low and dark, his fist clenched at his side. "Normally, I would not think anything of beating the living daylights out of you. If anything, I really want to do it!" Maurice's eyes widened. "But for her sake… I'm going to walk away. I'm going to walk back to my shop and pretend this never happened. And you will pay me back for the flowers I ordered, which will be with the rent money on Friday. Do I make myself clear?"

Maurice gagged as Rumald leaned his weight forward onto Maurice's neck. The added pressure gave Maurice the encouragement to nod his head in agreement. Rumald snatched his hand away from Maurice and straightened his suit, whilst Maurice clutched at his throat and heaved for air. Calculated, Rumald stepped away from Maurice and walked off towards his shop.

"Don't you people have jobs to do!" Rumald asked everyone, who lingered nearby. "Your rent won't pay itself!" In hushed whisper, they dispersed away from the scene and allowed Rumald to march off down the sidewalk. Belle looked between her father and Rumald, torn between the two of them.

"Belle!" Maurice strained to call her, his hand reaching towards her. Seeing her father like that, brought back so many memories of dealing with him after debt collectors had come to the house and taken everything. Times he had taken a beating for not paying an instalment by loan sharks. Times he had been so drunk, she had to half carry, half drag, him to the couch or bed, whichever had been closest. The look on his face disgusted her.

Belle closed her eyes at the image and turned away from him to go in the direction of Rumald. Quickly she covered the ground between her and Rumald, falling into step beside him as he stepped off the sidewalk to cross the street. He did not acknowledge her presence, his focus directed in front of him with his fists tightly clenched at his sides. His pace did not waver as he stepped onto the other sidewalk, while Belle struggled to keep up with him.

"Rumald, slow down!" Belle urged him, touching his arm. He snatched his arm out of her reach and increased his pace to pull away from her.

"Rumald, please!" She cried at him, uncaring who heard them.

"What!" He yelled sharply and skidded to a halt to take two quick strides towards her. "What? What do you want? I know what you want! You just want to tell me, how I'm such a beast! That you don't want to be with me! I get it, dearie! Don't you worry that pretty little face of yours. I'll be just fine on my own!"

"I wasn't" Belle tried to talk to him, but was rudely interrupted by him waving his hand in front of her face before he said. "I know how this works! It's fine!"

"Would you just shut up!" Belle grabbed hold of his face and held him steady as she kissed him hard. He made a muffled noise of surprise at her. She held him fast feeling him struggle. After a few seconds, Rumald slowly relaxed against her, his hands leisurely slid around her to engulf her into her hug and returned her kiss. They did not care who saw them stood in the middle of Storybrooke.

Breathless, Belle released his lips and opened her eyes to look into his. The anger and darkness she had seen earlier was gone, replaced by the kindness she had seen on their date. He took a staggered breathe, letting his arms fall from around her, and stepped back from her, which caused her hands to drop from his face.

"How do you do that?" He asked in a whisper.

"Do what?" Belle gave him a curious look.

Rumald swallowed before he spoke. "I wanted your father to attack me, so I had a good excuse to beat him for what he's done to you." He pointed over her shoulder in the direction they had just come from. "Then you were there…" His hand, which had been pointing over her shoulder, came to her face to brush the back of his fingers over her cheek. "Calming this old beast."

"I wish you'd stop calling yourself a beast." Belle said shaking her head at him.

"What're you doing tonight?" Rumald inquired changing subject and removed his hand from her cheek.

"Erm… Nothing I think." She scrunched her brow in thought. "Girl's night is Thursday. So, no, I'm not doing anything tonight."

"Come round the house tonight for dinner with Albert and me. Then we can tell him." He instructed her and stepped towards her.

"Okay… Are you sure, you want to tell him?" Belle nervously questioned him.

Rumald smiled and quickly leaned in to kiss her sweetly on the corner of her mouth, telling her as he moved backwards. "Definitely. Never been more sure of anything in my life."

Belle smiled wide at him, watching him backing away from her, a short distance, before he turned in the direction of his shop. There was a bounce in his step as he sauntered away from her, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. A small giggle escaped Belle, while she started to make her way to Grannies. With one last glance at Rumald, Belle ducked into the outside area of Grannies and climbed the steps onto the porch, and pulled open the door. The din in the diner hushed as Belle entered. Her eyes moved over everyone. The din slowly returned to its normal volume, whilst Belle walked behind the counter to collect a notepad and pen.


	28. Chapter 28

When she had left Grannies, Belle had been excited to be having dinner with Rumald and Albert, humming to herself as she walked to their house. The nearer she got to their house, the harder she clutched the bottle of wine to her chest, nervous of how the evening would turn out for all of them. Her thoughts were cruel to her, teasing her that Albert would be horrified and Rumald would throw her out of their lives. If it did happen, which she very much doubted as she crossed their street to their side, Belle would fight to keep them. They meant more to her than life itself.

Her eyebrow rose quizzically seeing Rumald's Cadillac was not in the drive. She paused at the bottom of the path leading to their house, her gaze inspecting the driveway and then up and down the street. Pouting her lips and scrunching her brow, Belle sauntered up the path to the porch and went up the steps to the house. Inside she could hear loud music playing, the noise contained by the walls of the house. Belle knocked loudly on the door and let her arms fall to her sides as she waited, holding the bottle of wine by its neck.

On the other side the door, she could see a shadow jump down from the stairs and ducked out of sight before the door opened. With the front door now open, the loud music poured out onto the porch, drowning out the idyllic sounds outside. Belle's eyebrows rose expectantly, as she came face to face with Albert. He looked lost for a second and then smile crept over his face, while he gestured for her to follow him into the house. Albert ran off up the stairs, leaving Belle to close the front door. She shrugged her jacket off her shoulders and pulled her arm out of a sleeve, exchanging the bottle between her hands to remove the sleeve of her jacket from her other arm. As she hung her jacket, the dance music abruptly stopped and Albert came pounding back downstairs, jumping the last three steps to join her in the entrance hall.

"Hey, Belle!" Albert smiled at her. "Do you want a drink? Oh… You brought your own."

She touched his shoulder to guide him towards the kitchen. "Just get me the corkscrew and a glass."

"Sure." He nodded his head at her and went to dig through a draw for a corkscrew. Belle slid a chair out from the breakfast table and sat down onto it, placing the bottle onto the table. With the corkscrew hooked around his finger, Albert carried a can of coke and a wine glass to the table, joining Belle at the table. He dropped the corkscrew in front of her before carefully placing the glass on the table, using his foot to kick a chair out from underneath the table.

"Dad's been called to one of his tenants, who's locked themselves out of their house. Told me to tell you, he should be back in about an hour." Albert sat down onto his chair with a satisfying hiss escaping his can as he opened it.

Belle wriggled and worked the cork out of the bottle with the corkscrew, a pop echoing around the room when she managed to free the cork from the bottle. "How long has he been gone?"

"About an hour." He estimated with a glance to the kitchen clock.

"So, he should be back any minute then." She said pouring the wine into her glass.

"Belle, can you just tell him, we don't need to have the talk again." Albert pleaded to her, his hands protectively clasped around his can of coke.

Belle sipped at her wine, her brow scrunched together in thought at him, before she said. "What're you talking about?"

"I told him I understand." Albert shyly looked at her. "You know, the birds and bees chat. It was so embarrassing."

"Oh, right, yes." Belle felt her cheeks redden, feeling embarrassed for Albert and herself.

"I promised I wouldn't do anything, but I don't think he believes me. Hence why you're here tonight." Albert explained throwing his hand in her direction as he spoke.

"Is that what he told you, Bae?" She asked, as she doubted for a second why Rumald had asked her to dinner.

Albert shook his head. "No, but I don't see any other reason, why the three of us would need a chat."

"Bae, I don't think that's what your father wants to chat about." Belle told him and sipped her wine.

"Then I hope it's nothing to do with my mother." Albert groaned down at his can of coke, resting his head into the palm of his hand, leaning his weight onto the table.

"I very much doubt it has anything to do with your mother." She said rather quickly, surprising herself and Albert, who frowned at her.

He sat back into his chair, as he asked. "So, what does he want to talk about? It can't be school, because my grades are back at A's. I haven't done anything wrong recently, so it can't be that either. And I've stopped pranking him, like he asked, even though it was so funny."

"Look," Belle reached over to him and touched his hand on the table. "Let's just wait 'til your father comes home."

"You've got to have an idea of what he wants to talk about. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked you to be here." Albert said astutely to her, making her smile at him.

She squinted her eyes at him as she regarded him. "It's scary how clever you are at times."

"I know something's going on." He poked his finger at the table. "He's…" Albert paused to find the right word. "Changing."

"Changing?" Belle probed and drank from her wine.

"Like I told you, my mother and father would argue about me or anything like cat and dog. Sunday morning, he didn't do anything. He just stood there" Albert flung his arm in the direction of the kitchen behind him. "And did nothing. She threw his phone, some plates and a glass vase at him. But he just stood there and did nothing. Didn't shout back."

Belle propped herself onto the table with her elbows. "What would you rather he'd done?"

"He should have told her to get the fuck out of our house!" Albert's temper got the better of him.

"Bae!" She exclaimed at him, shaking her head at his swearing.

"Sorry, but he should have." Albert voiced sternly to her.

Deciding over her words, Belle took a long drink from her glass of wine before she said. "Sadly, Bae, your mother is going to be a part of your life, whether you like it not. I love my father to death, but at the moment, I'd rather be in a separate zip code to him."

The corner of Albert's mouth twitched, his eyes pinpointed on the can in front of him. "I do love my mother, but I hate what she did to us, what she does to my dad."

"Bae, there's nothing wrong with feeling like that." Belle reassuringly squeezed his hand. "You have every right to feel like that."

"My grandma told me, my mother ruined my dad. She broke his heart, which made him into this hard, cold person, which is why everyone in town are scared of him. And I hate her for that." Albert told her, squeezing her fingers hard with his thumb.

"But you said he's changing." Belle titled her head in an attempt to make eye contact with him.

"He's… He's being nice to people." His gazed moved from the can to Belle. "He's smiling."

"Well, isn't that a good thing?" She queried and finished the remnants of her wine before pouring another glass.

Albert drank some of his coke and said. "I supposed so."

"You want to see your dad happy, yeah?" Belle pushed for a more definitive answer.

"Course I do." He answered shifting in his chair. "It's just…"

Belle rolled her eyes at him. "It's just what?"

"It's just… weird." Albert confessed with a shrug of his shoulders.

"It probably would be, if he's been like that nearly all your life." She summarised holding the glass to her lips, ready to take a drink from it.

As Belle drank from her glass, Albert said. "No, it's weird to think dad's having sex with someone."

The instant she heard the words dad and sex used in the same sentence, Belle spat her mouthful of wine back out of her mouth. The wine sprayed over the table. Swiftly Albert had shoved himself away from the table on his chair, taking his can with him, whilst he laughed at Belle's reaction. She coughed and struggled to breath, as the wine she had managed to swallow seemed to be stuck in her throat. Albert left the table and went into the kitchen to grab a dishcloth and the roll of paper towels.

"I wish I'd filmed that!" He chuckled, while he wiped down the table and offered the roll of paper towels towards Belle. "That could have been an instant hit on YouTube!"

Belle's voice was hoarse, when she spoke. "Why do you think it has anything to do with… sex?"

"It was an article in one of Emma's mum's magazines." Albert explained taking the dishcloth back to the sink and rinsed it out under the tap. "It said that people's moods could be affected by sexual tension." He shrugged his shoulders. "Me and Emma always put dad's mood down to not getting any. So now he's all smiles, he must have gotten some."

"Bae, do me a favour?" Belle asked drying the table with the paper towels.

"What?" He returned, sitting down onto his chair.

"Stop using the word sex." She pinned him with a look. "Hearing you talk about sex is too weird for me. You're like a baby brother."

Albert shook his head with a smile. "I can't do that. Who am I gonna talk about sex to when I'm older?"

"Exactly, when you're older!" Belle giggled at him and shoved the used towels to one side on the table, lying the roll beside them. She observed him beside her, mirroring the smile he showed her whilst he scooted his chair closer to the table. When things finally came out about Rumald and Belle, she hoped the dynamic between Albert and her would not change too much. She enjoyed their chats and his company, even considered him one of her best friends. Apart from, telling him about her feelings for his father, there was not much she did not discuss with Albert.

"Is it weird that he's having… sex or that he's with someone?" Belle curiously asked him, sipping at her glass wine.

Albert pressed his lips into a thin line, thinking about the question. "I didn't think of it like that."

"Like what?" She pushed, tracing her finger round the rim of her glass.

"That he has a girlfriend." Albert replied to her distantly, thinking over the new prospect.

"You assume he's had sex, but not that he has a girlfriend." She said to him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "He's never been with anyone. It's always been me and him."

"Or none that you've known about." Belle added before drinking from her glass.

Albert chuckled. "I remember when I was ten. The mayor's mother was trying to get him to take her out on a date. Kept bringing him things to the shop and turning up when we were out. Remembering the look on his face," Albert laughed harder, while Belle could only look amused. "He was so frighten of her touching him that he would shove me between them."

"He couldn't have been that scary then, if she liked him." Belle said chuckling at the image.

"I think she knew him before my mother left." Albert suggested and drank from his coke. They shared a bemused look between them, as the front door opened a smell of pizza and a chorus of grumbling entered the house. Hearing the door shut, they angled themselves to see Rumald enter the kitchen carrying a pizza box and his phone pressed to his ear.

"Dove, I don't care!" He grumbled into the phone, as he delivered the pizza box onto the table in front of them. "Get those people out of that house!" Rumald hastily strode over to the fridge and yanked it open. "When was the last time you did an inspection on that house? They've damaged all the woodwork and the walls. It's going to cost thousands to get those original features back."

Albert leaned over to Belle to whisper to her, as she was about to take a sip of her wine. "Sexual tension, perhaps?"

"Shush!" She smiled at him and shoved him away from her.

The fridge shook when Rumald kicked the door shut with his foot, using the momentum to turn on the spot to put his beer onto the kitchen island. "Dove, it's simple." He wedged the phone between his head and shoulder, so he could twist the cap off his beer. "You notify Sheriff Graham that you're going to evict them and show him clause sixteen F in their tenant agreement. Or do you want me to come and do what I pay you to do?"

Belle watched Rumald swig his beer across the kitchen, his eyes fixed down on the counter top in front of him. Seeing the cold calculated side of him, thrilled and scared her. Though hearing what he wanted his employee to do, surfaced memories of when she and her father were thrown out of apartments due to him not paying the rent. One side of her, tingled for the 'beast' in front of her, but she was saddened knowing what the family would go through tomorrow, when they were thrown out of the house, they called 'home'.

"Get it done, Dove!" Rumald ordered and hung up the phone, as he came around the breakfast island with his beer. "Sorry about that."

"The damage is that bad?" Belle inquired, while he claimed the chair opposite her at the table.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head at her, as he laid his phone onto the table. "It's like Jason and Freddy had a field day in there. Scrapes deep into the walls. Marks and chunks missing out of doorframes. The back door is hanging on only one hinge."

"Oh…" She glanced at Albert beside her. "Tenants, who'd have them?"

"Me!" Rumald said exasperated, opening his eyes to see her.

"I'll get some plates." Albert excused himself from the table, heading off into the kitchen to rummage in a cupboard for plates.

"I wish it was the weekend." Rumald said sighing and took a long swig from his beer. Sitting across from him, Belle finally noticed the cut and bruise she had been told about. She had been too distracted earlier to notice the black bruise above his left eye with a thick red line running through the middle of it and through his eyebrow.

Belle subconsciously rubbed her left eyebrow. "She got you good."

"Hmm…" Rumald gazed over his shoulder at her, while he put his suit jacket on the back of his chair, and saw where she was rubbing, which in turn made him do the same, now she had drawn his attention to his cut. "Yeah, she did."

"Pizza!" Albert sang sitting back down at the table and issued them each a plate before he opened the pizza box. "What? Where's the topping?"

"I didn't know whether she would like it, so I got plain." Rumald explained to his son, taking a slice from the pizza box.

"But… What about my pepperoni? My spicy sausage meat? My… My hot sauce chicken?" Albert questioned his father, pulling a disappointed look at him at the same time.

Rumald rolled his eyes at his son, while he swigged his beer. "You have plenty of things in the fridge, which you can add to that."

Grumbling Albert shoved himself up from the table and went over to the fridge, yanking the door open. Belle shook her head and smiled at Albert's little performance, as she took a slice from the pizza to put onto her plate. She gazed over at Rumald, who was smiling down at his phone, tapping and swiping the screen as he took a bite from the pizza in his other hand.

Albert returned to the table, dumping containers of different ingredients. "Next time, I'm ordering."

"Whatever you want, dearie." Rumald mumbled to Albert, sounding like his mind was elsewhere as he dumped his pizza onto his plate and hurriedly typed into his phone.

"You should have got two pizzas." Belle commented watching Rumald across the table, as she ate her pizza. Albert was laying his toppings onto his slice of pizza, distracted enough he missed his father's hands halt mid typing and his father's eyes rise from his phone to Belle. His injured eyebrow lifted up his forehead at her. The look in his eyes was playful with one corner of his lips pulling back in half a smile.

"That would suggest, Miss French, that I have common sense." He said looking back down to his phone, his thumbs returning to their dance on the screen. "We're in short supply seeing as you've got it all."

Albert sharply looked up from his pizza to his father and then to Belle. "What?"

"I suppose we could excuse you on this occasion, as you're at a disadvantage." Belle retorted before she bit into her pizza, her gaze on Rumald. The corner of his lips tugged into a smirk. Albert sat silent holding his pizza between his hands, his eyes bouncing back and forth between Belle and Rumald as if he was watching a tennis match.

A swoosh noise came from Rumald's phone as he put it down onto the table. "Right, that's enough with work for tonight."

"I thought you said this morning, you had to go to the Rabbit Hole tonight?" Albert asked with a mouthful of food and received a glare from his father for his manners. "Sorry."

"I rearranged it." Rumald stated collecting his pizza from his plate. "So we can have this little chat."

Belle took a sip from her wine, as Albert said. "Why does this feel like the time, you told me I had to go on holiday with my mother?"

Rumald chuckled discarding the crust of his pizza to his plate. "It's got nothing to do with your mother."

"Good!" Albert cried and his shoulders relaxed. "Then what?"

"I wanted to talk to you about me." Rumald said and folded his arms onto the table.

"Oh god! You're not dying, are you?" Albert asked panicked. Hearing the question, Belle's eyes opened wide at the suggestion, mirrored by the look Rumald wore on his face.

"Dying? I say I want to sit down and have a chat, and you think I'm dying?" Rumald questioned his son, unfolding his arms to touch Albert's arm, gently squeezing his son's forearm. "I'm not going anywhere, Albert. I promised you a long time ago, your worse fears won't come true. I won't let them. I'm never going to leave you. Ever!"

"Okay." Albert responded quietly, almost a whisper.

Rumald sighed shifting his chair closer to Albert and briefly glanced over at Belle before his attention went back to his son. "Albert, I want to tell you something before you hear it from someone else." Albert turned his head to look at his father. "I'm… I'm seeing someone."

"You mean you have a girlfriend?" Albert asked his father, his eyebrows creasing up his forehead. Quietly Belle sat and listened to them, feeling awkward as they spoke to one another. It was refreshing for her to see the kind, gentle, 'father' side of Rumald.

"Erm… Yeah, girlfriend, if that's what you want to call them. Though, I think I'm too old to call them my girlfriend." Rumald answered with a chuckle.

"Okay, and?" Albert pushed his father to carry on.

"And?" Rumald repeated confusedly. "And you don't have a problem with that?"

Albert pulled a face and shrugged his shoulders. "Why should I have a problem with it? My mother has a boyfriend. Why can't you have a girlfriend?"

"Well… I just thought you might have a problem with it." Rumald confessed to his son, taking hold of Albert's hand.

"The only problem I'll have is if she's a bimbo and an airhead like Jack's step mother." Albert told his father, picking up his slice of pizza to take a bite from it.

Rumald smirked as his eyes moved to Belle. "Oh, she's no bimbo or airhead, Albert. I can promise you that."

Belle felt under the microscope with his gaze on her, causing her to shift on her chair as Albert said. "Good. It's bad enough I have to dumb things down for Killian, when I'm with them."

"Yes," Rumald's smirk fell from his face at hearing Killian's name. "Let's not dwell on that… idiot."

"So, why's Belle here then?" Albert questioned, his gaze fleeting between the two of them. "In case I had a problem with it?"

Rumald took a long swig from his beer, his eyes on Belle over the bottle, before he said to Albert. "No, Belle's not here for that."

"Belle?" Albert frowned at his father, surprised to hear his father use Belle's first name.

"Me and Belle… We're" Rumald flashed a smile in Belle's direction. "We're seeing each other."

Albert froze with his eyes on Belle, his mind slowly digesting the new information. Feeling awkward, Belle tried her best to smile at Albert, observing her young friend blink his eyes in disbelief before he turned his gaze onto his father. Rumald still held Albert's hand on the table, while his other hand rubbed soothingly at Albert's shoulder. Albert blinked his eyes some more and looked down from his father to the table.

Growing concerned, Rumald leaned towards his son. "Albert, say something?"

Albert did not move or say anything as he stared down at the table. Reaching for his hand nearest her, she clasped his hand and squeezed his fingers. Slowly his gaze rose from the table to her. She smiled warmly at him and leaned towards him to grasp his hand between both her hands.

"Bae, talk to us." Belle said softly to him.

He swallowed at the same time his fingers clasped hers in his hand. "I'm okay. Just… I didn't think… It would be you."

"And you're okay with that?" Belle pushed, stroking her thumb over the back of his hand.

"If you're not, that's okay as well, Albert." Rumald quickly interjected with his worry showing on his face. Her smile widened seeing the look he wore on his face. She wanted to get up and hug him, reassuring him everything would be all right.

"I haven't got a problem with it, dad." Albert stated as his gaze moved to his father. "I'm just glad it's not a bimbo or an airhead." Rumald dragged his son into a hug, clutching at his son with a hand pressing his son's head against his chest. The sight of them almost made Belle well up with tears. The relationship they shared made her jealous, as she wondered why her own father could never be as caring as Rumald. She knew every choice Rumald made, was for the happiness of his son. All her father ever cared about was himself.

"Dad." Albert's call was muffled by Rumald's arm. Hearing his name, Rumald released his hold on Albert. "Can I take some pizza upstairs?"

"What? You don't want to eat with us?" Rumald asked with his arms lingering around Albert.

"No, it isn't that. I just want to go and play on my game and talk to Emma." Albert explained to his father.

Rumald smiled weakly. "Okay."

Taking two more slices from the box, Albert smiled at both of them and escaped into the entrance hall. Belle shook her head and took a sip of her wine, as Rumald moved to take Albert's empty chair.

"Oh!" Albert called appearing in the doorway, causing Belle and Rumald to jump. "Dad, we'll need to sit down and have a little chat one on one."

"About what?" Rumald asked confused.

"About the birds and the bees, of course." Albert smiled at his father, whilst Belle giggled into her hand and avoided looking at Rumald.

"Get up stairs before I change my mind." Rumald ordered, pointing in the direction of the stairs. Belle shook with laughter as Rumald watched Albert disappear back into the entrance hall. She shook her head hearing Albert's footsteps up the stairs and picked up her pizza to take a bite from it.

Rumald leaned over the table to collect his bottle of beer. "That boy thinks he's a comedian."

"He is funny." Belle said, as she discarded her cold pizza to her plate and pushed the plate away. Taking a sip of her wine to wash away the taste of the pizza, she glanced over at Rumald to find him staring at her, his chin supported by his hand, his elbow bearing the weight onto the table. His face was so relaxed, his mask forgotten.

"What?" She queried him, leisurely placing her glass of wine on the table.

"It astounds me how you have an effect on both of us." Rumald admitted to her.

Belle smiled at him. "I'd be more interested to hear about the effects I have on you."

His eyebrows briefly shot up his forehead before he leant off the table and dragged his chair to be closer to her. "I think if I was, to digress these effects to you, you would use them against this old monster."

"I don't see an old monster in front of me." She told him and twisted on her seat to face him, raising her hand to touch his cheek, his lightly stubble cheek tickled her palm. "I see my handsome boyfriend."

Smiling Rumald inclined himself towards her, his hands came up to cup her face as he kissed her. Her hand dropped from his face, melting against him, and opened her mouth to allow his tongue to explore. The taste of her wine and his beer mixed, leaving a rather bittersweet taste in her mouth. The kiss was over rather too quickly for Belle's liking, when Rumald pulled away from her, his hands lingered on her face.

"Are you staying tonight?" He asked in a hopeful tone.

"I can't." Belle replied, not liking the disappointment in his eyes. "I've got the early shift tomorrow."

He groaned closing his eyes for a second and said. "What're you doing for lunch tomorrow then?"

"Ruby and me are going to Portland after work." Belle informed him, giving him a sympathetic look.

"Portland? What for?" He frowned at her, as his hands fell from her face to rest on the tops of her thighs.

"I need to get Albert something for his birthday and I want to have a look at some dresses for Albert's birthday dinner." She explained to him and drank from her wine glass.

Rumald pulled at his tie and loosened it. "I know you're probably not making much at Grannies, but…" Belle scowled at him. "If you need some money, you only need to ask me."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm sorry, Rumald, I won't borrow money from you." Belle told him.

"I wasn't going to lend it to you. I would give it to you." He captured one of her hands in his. "Look, I know you'd rather do things off your own back. I know you've worked hard to get where you are, but it doesn't hurt for me to help you out."

Belle's eyebrow raised at him, as she smiled at him. "It scary you know that already."

"I mean it though, you only have to ask." He repeated to her.

"I'll bear it in mind." Belle promised to him, as she noticed the time on the clock. "I better go."

"I'll drive you." Rumald said standing up from his chair and drew her up from her chair by the hand he held. Belle stepped pass him, whilst he leant over the table to collect his phone, and playfully slapped his backside. He jumped and spun round to face her, a mischievous half smile on his face. Smirking at him, Belle started towards the opening to the entrance hall when Rumald captured her into his arms, a surprised scream escaped from her while he drew her against his chest.

"Don't tease me, Miss French." He whispered seductively into her ear and kissed the tender skin behind her ear. She shivered unwillingly against him and squeezed her thighs together at the sensation it caused through her body.

"Hey!" Albert's bodiless voice called from somewhere in the house. "No, hanky panky!" Belle laughed placing her hands on top of his, while Rumald dropped his head to rest on her shoulder. His hands slid down and freed her from his arms, whilst he shook his head. Stifling her laughter, Belle went over to where her jacket hung and took it from its hook to put it on.

"I'm taking Belle to Grannies." Rumald shouted up the stairs, fishing his keys out of his pocket. There was a distant cry of okay from upstairs.

Rolling his eyes, Rumald followed Belle out of the front door. "It's a good job, he's my son."

"Just remember," Belle started to say, descending the steps of his porch. "its better he be like this than against us." He grumbled to himself joining Belle at the bottom of the steps and took hold of Belle's hand to lead her to his car. Nodding her head in thanks to him when he opened the car door for her, she climbed into the car and let him close the door for her. Belle watched him come around the car and get into the driver's side. She had never felt so light and care free before, and knew it was because of him and Albert.


	29. Chapter 29

(This chapter is rated M.)

Standing in middle of a video game shop, Belle read the back cover of a game, trying to decide whether to get it for Albert for his birthday. She returned the title to the shelf and grabbed another video game from the shelf, inspecting the front cover before she turned it over to read the back. Distantly she could hear Ruby giggling at the clerk behind the counter, who she had spotted when they entered the shop and proclaimed 'he's cute' before strolling over to him. Belle put the game back on the shelf and noticed a box on the bottom shelve. She took it from the shelf and read over the contents of the box.

Belle stumbled sideways when Ruby bumped into her, saying. "Hey, I just got you fifteen percent off, whatever you buy him."

"That's nice." Belle said shaking her head. "But it would be nicer if you helped me decide."

"Just buy anything with guns and aliens." Ruby suggested taking a game from the shelf to look at it.

"Really? I never would have thought of that. I'm so glad you came with me." Belle sarcastically said to Ruby.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders in defence. "I don't know what to buy him. All I could tell you is that he liked dumper trucks, when we used to play together."

"I can't buy him a dumper truck." Belle groaned turning the box over in her hands to inspect the front of it again.

"Buy him that." Ruby suggested pointing to the box in Belle's hands. "It says up there it was only released Monday. He can't have that in his collection."

"He does like Call of Duty." Belle commented more to herself than to Ruby. Nodding her head at the decision, Belle ambled to the counter and placed the box on the counter top, as she dug into her bag for her purse. The 'cute' clerk that Ruby had been chatting up came over to Belle and picked up the box from the counter. As he scanned the box and typed into the cash register, Belle eyes were drawn to the t-shirts hanging on the wall behind the counter.

"Excuse me, could you get me that one in a medium, please?" She said to the clerk, pointing at one with Call of Duty written on it and a picture of a zombie on it. He angled his head to see the t-shirt and bent down to grab one from the boxes behind him. The cash register beeped with another item added to bill.

"That'll be one hundred and thirty eight dollars, please." The clerk said shaking out a large bag to put the box and the extra goodies, he had retrieved from a draw into, and dropped the t-shirt on top. Belle counted out the money and handed it to the clerk. Dishearten she counted the remainder of her money, whilst the clerk rang off her bill and shoved the receipt into the bag for her.

Ruby grabbed the bag from the clerk, giving him one of her cheeky smiles before she followed Belle towards the exit of the shop. Belle shook her head and shoved her money back into her purse, and dropped her purse into her bag. They came to a standstill in the doorway to the shop.

"Where to now?" Ruby asked offering the bag to Belle.

Belle took the bag from Ruby. "I don't know now. I don't think I'll have enough to buy a dress for the dinner."

"Hey, don't worry about that." Ruby touched Belle's shoulder. "Grannie gave me your wages before we left. So I've got some more money for you."

"What? She already gave me my wages." Belle frowned at Ruby digging into her bag to pull a white envelope out.

Belle noted as she took the envelope that it was quite thick. "I don't understand." She told Ruby opening the envelope to flick through the dollar bills inside it. "This is the money for my room."

"Is it?" Ruby raised her eyebrows peeking over Belle's shoulder to see the envelope. Heavily sighing through her nose, Belle shoved the envelope into her bag and marched off away from the video game shop. Ruby fell into step beside Belle, walking along the shop fronts in the mall.

Belle knew the envelope had something to do with Rumald. She had seen him chatting with Grannie in the B&B reception area, while she had been going into the cleaning closet to get a broom. When she had come out of the closet, he had left through the B&B entrance, giving Grannie a smile over his shoulder. She had thought it was strange at the time that he not popped into the diner to see her, but had guessed he probably had a lot to do that morning.

Ruby gestured towards a clothes shop. "Let's go in there and have a look."

Belle let Ruby lead her into the shop, her eyes roamed over the clothes as they entered, trying to spot anything that took her fancy. She strolled through the stands of clothing, leaving Ruby to look at some tops near the entrance. Her fingers traced over the fabric of some of the clothes as she passed them, looking over them whilst she squeezed pass a woman that lingered in front of a top.

She stopped in the aisle to examine a blue dress that caught her attention. Hooking the bag for Albert's gift over her wrist, Belle used both hands to pull the sides of the dress out, eyeing the strapless dress up and down, her eyes drawn to the decorative pattern on the body of the dress. She used her finger to unhook the dress from the stand and held it up in front of her, twirling it on the hanger to see the back of it. Turning it back round, Belle hooked it back onto the stand and stood back to look at it. The hem of the dress worried her slightly, knowing it would be midway on her thigh. Probably not a suitable dress for her boyfriend's, son's birthday dinner.

"You'd look good in that." Ruby said suddenly beside her, making Belle jump.

Belle held her hand over her chest. "Yes, but I'm not sure if it's suitable for Albert's dinner."

"Nah, it'll be fine." Ruby assured unhooking the dress from the stand to look at the back. "Give Mr Gold something to drool over."

"That's it, I'm not buying that." Belle turned away from the dress and wandered to another dress.

"Why not?" Ruby questioned bringing the dress with her as she followed Belle.

"The focus should be on Albert, not me." She told her friend, picking up another dress from its stand. "It's going to be bad enough with Milah and her boyfriend there."

"I don't see the problem. Screw her and wear what you want." Ruby thrusted the dress towards Belle.

Belle sighed and took the dress from Ruby. "I'll buy it, but I'm not promising to wear it."

"Well, what else do you see that you like?" Ruby waved to the wall of dresses beside them.

As Belle gazed over the wall of dresses, her phone beeped and vibrated in her jeans pocket. Switching Albert's present into her other hand and laying the dress over her arm, Belle pulled her phone out of her pocket and swiped the screen to unlock it. When she saw he had sent her a message, she smiled down at her phone reading his message.

' _I hope you're enjoying yourself whilst I'm being bored to death'_.

A thought came to her, when she said to Ruby. "Ruby, hold the dress up."

Ruby replaced the dress she had been looking at back onto its stand and came over to Belle, and held up the blue dress as her friend had instructed. Belle took a picture of the dress and sent it to Rumald. It was a matter of seconds until Rumald sent a reply back to her, telling her the dress looked nice. Not satisfied with his reaction, Belle gazed around the shop and spotted the lingerie on the far wall.

Strolling away from Ruby to the lingerie, Belle smirked to herself when she stood in front of a red and black bra, pantie and suspender set. She snapped a picture and sent it to him, as she headed back over to where she left Ruby. Her phone beeped and vibrated in her hand.

' _That's borderline teasing, Miss French. But thank you for the sexy image in my head, which will torture me during this meeting with the mayor.'_

Belle laughed at his message, causing Ruby to give her a puzzle look, whilst Belle responded to his message, telling him she was glad she could help. Sliding her phone back into her pocket, Belle grabbed the dress Ruby was holding for her and took it over to the counter. Ruby followed behind her, joining Belle in the queue as they waited to be served by the cashier.

"What you smirking about?" Ruby asked, bumping shoulders with Belle.

"Just teasing Rumald." Belle stated and took a step forward when the queue moved. "I want to have a look at some shoes next."

"You two sound very comfortable with one another." Ruby said gazing at Belle.

Belle pressed her lips in thought before she said. "We are, aren't we?"

"It hasn't even been a week and you've got him wrapped around your little finger." Ruby commented, hooking some of her hair behind her ear.

"I wouldn't say I got him round my little finger." Belle disagreed, moving forward with the queue. "We just… I don't know. It just feels right."

Ruby fidgeted with the strap her bag. "I'm happy for you, Belle, I am. I just wish I could find someone."

"Hey, course you will!" Belle grabbed hold of Ruby's hand and squeezed it. A cashier called for the next person in line, breaking the moment between them as they crossed to the waiting cashier. Belle handed the dress over to the woman behind the counter, kindly smiling at Ruby beside her. She gave the cashier the money for the dress and took the offered bag from the woman, gesturing with her head for Ruby to follow her.

Exiting the shop, Belle put both bags into one hand and linked arms with Ruby. "Come on, you can choose my shoes, you'll enjoy that."

After purchasing a pair of shoes for Belle and a pair for Ruby, the pair had left the mall and drove back to Storybrooke, chatting and giggling about possible men for Ruby. Ruby parked her car into the B&B parking lot and the two exited the car giggling about Ruby possibly going out with Doctor Whale again. Shaking her head in disgust, Ruby opened the trunk and grabbed the bags out of it. She slammed the trunk shut and handed Belle her respective bags, as they crossed the parking lot to the entrance of the B&B.

Ruby opened the door and held the door open, waiting for Belle to step through the doorway, and closed the door behind her as she asked. "Do you want something to eat?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Belle held the bags up. "I'm going to take these to my room and read my book."

"Sure?" Ruby inquired, backing away from Belle to the doorway that led to the diner.

Belle nodded her head. "Yep, and thanks for today. It was nice to get out of town for a bit."

"Anytime." Ruby smiled and turned, sauntering off into the diner. Smiling Belle trudged her way up the stairs, struggling with the bag as they caught on the banister. She fought her way up the stairs, cursing at the bags, and walked down the corridor to her room. Fishing her keys out of her bag, Belle unlocked her door and shouldered her door open, dumping the bags onto the floor after taking a couple of steps into her room. She pushed the door closed and headed over to the minibar, when there was a loud, urgent knock at her door.

Breathing heavily to herself, Belle walked back over to her door and opened it, startled backwards when the door was pushed opened. He came into the room so quickly, Belle was not sure what was happening until he grabbed hold of her and used her to shut the door, pinning her body against the door with his own. His lips hungrily kissed her, while his hands slid down her sides, squeezing and grasping at her body. The smell of his citrus aftershave overwhelmed her.

Between kisses, Rumald grunted at her. "That was evil sending me that picture."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing herself to be lost to him. He stoop and hooked his hands around the back of her legs, lifting her off the ground, pushing her up the door to tower over him. Her fingers grabbed at the hair at the back of his head, inciting a moan out of him.

"Did you buy them?" He mumbled into her mouth. She managed to croak out a 'no' as his nibbled and kissed her throat, her head falling back against the door to allow him more access.

He groaned against her throat. "I'm going to have to teach you, Miss French, not to tease me."

Belle let out a small cry of surprise when he moved her away from the door, carrying her over to the bed to throw her un-ceremonially onto it. She breathlessly panted at him, watching him shrug off his suit jacket to toss to a nearby chair. Seeing him so forthright elicited a rush of heat through her. He removed his tie and flung it towards where his jacket was, quickly unbuttoning his waistcoat.

As he removed his waistcoat from his shoulders, tossing it to the chair, Belle climbed back off the bed and beat his hands to the buttons of his shirt. Sultrily gazing up at him, she unbuttoned his shirt and kissed the skin it exposed to her, while his fingers worked her blouse out of the waist of her jeans. Each kiss was accompanied by a moan from Rumald, which was chorus with one from Belle when his hands slid under her blouse and over her skin. His hands were hot, burning a trail over her skin. Belle groaned at him when he removed his hands from her under blouse, encircling her with his arms whilst he removed his cufflinks. Sliding her hands over his bare chest, Belle pushed his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms, leaving it to fall off to the floor.

He pocketed his cufflinks, whilst his free arm hooked around her, holding her against him as he tilted his head to kiss her neck again. Belle dug her nails into his shoulders, sucking in a harsh breathe when he nip her slightly harder. Keeping her against him, he stumbled them towards the end of the bed and undid the buttons of her blouse one handed. Rumald stripped her of her blouse, discarding it to the floor, as he forced her back onto the bed and scooted her further onto the bed.

Belle bit her lip at him, while he removed her trainers and socks, letting them drop to the floor by his feet. His dark eyes held her gaze, as he undid the button of her jeans and unzipped them to tug them down her legs by the waist of her jeans. He flung them down to the floor and crawled onto the bed between her legs, capturing her lips as he held himself over her. Her hands crawled at him, encouraging him to lower his weight down onto her, so they could lose themselves to one another.


	30. Chapter 30

Belle put the finishing touches to her makeup and checked herself over in the mirror. Moving some of the loose strands of her hair, she smiled at her reflection and left her bathroom to collect her clutch purse, she had borrowed from Ruby, from the bed. She checked her keys, purse and phone were inside the bag before she left her room, collecting Albert's gift bag by the door, and pulled the door closed behind her. Belle smiled even though she was nervous of what Rumald would think when she met him at his house.

As she came down the last steps of the stairs, Grannie came out of the sitting area of the B&B and said. "My god, girl! Are you trying to kill him?"

"Too much?" Belle questioned, pulling at the hem of her dress.

"Not at all." Grannie smiled at Belle and touched her arm. "You're just what he needs."

Belle smiled at Grannie and stepped pass her, opening the door to leave the B&B for the parking lot. Carefully stepping down the steps of the porch, Belle crossed the parking lot to her car and got her keys out of her clutch purse. She climbed into her car, kicking her heels off into the foot well as she placed the gift bag and her clutch purse onto the passenger seat, and drove her car bare footed. It did not take long with hardly any traffic on the street to pull up at the kerb outside of their house.

As she stepped out of the car, Belle pulled her heels on one at a time and shut her car door. She pulled down her dress holding Albert's gift bag and her clutch purse in the same hand, and walked the short distance up the garden path to carefully climb the porch steps to their front door. After pushing the doorbell, Belle put her keys back into her clutch purse and waited for the door to open. Fed up of waiting, Belle was about to press the doorbell again, when the door opened with Albert on the other side of the door. He stood blocking the doorway, his mouth gaping at her, as he looked in awe at her. A few times, he closed his mouth, only for it to drop open again.

"Fish impressions?" Belle said coolly to him and moved towards him, squeezing passed him into the house.

"Err… Yeah, right… Yep." Albert stammered at her and closed the door, his eyes following her into the entrance hall.

"Is that Belle or Emma?" Rumald called from somewhere upstairs.

"Err… It… It…" Albert stuttered.

Belle smiled at Albert and touched his arm. "It's me, Rumald."

"Hey!" Rumald greeted from the top of the stairs and then stumbled down the stairs. "Wow!"

"Rumald!" Belle cried dropping the gift bag and clutch purse, and climbed a few steps up the stairs, meeting him where he sat on the stairs. "You okay?"

"You look amazing!" Rumald said gawking at her. Shaking her head with a smile, Belle helped him to his feet and climbed down the rest of the stairs with him. He gently took her hand in his and twirled her on the spot in the entrance hall. She smiled at him when she came back round to face him and stepped towards him, when he tugged her towards him into a hug.

"Beautiful." He whispered into her and kissed her cheek. She gushed at him and squeezed her arms around him, feeling so special in his arms. They held each other tightly. She breathed in his aftershave deeply, fore filling her craving to smell him. As they let go of each other, Rumald leaned in and kiss her on the lips, brushing his thumb over her cheek.

"Please!" Albert cried walking pass them into the kitchen. Rumald smiled and followed Albert into the kitchen to go to the mirror that hung on the wall, straightening his tie in the reflection. Following behind them after collecting Albert's gift and her clutch purse, Belle placed his gift and her purse onto the table before she sat down onto the edge of it.

She peruse over her two men from where she sat, noticing they both were sharply dressed. Albert was wearing the black suit he had worn to school dance, except he had exchanged the white shirt and black tie, for a light blue shirt and dark blue tie. Her eyes moved over Rumald, who was smoothing his hair straight. He was also wearing a black suit, but with a lilac shirt and dark purple tie. She smiled at his reflection in the mirror, their eyes meeting through the mirror. Biting her lip at him, she regarded how he always looked impeccable.

The doorbell rang and Albert practically ran from the kitchen to the front door. With a bemused look on her face, Belle angled her head towards the entrance hall, listening as Albert opened the front door.

"Come in, come in." Albert urged. The front door closed as Emma came into the opening to the kitchen from the entrance hall.

"Hey Emma." Belle greeted and smiled at her. "You look really pretty."

Rumald turned his head to see her, from where he stood in front of the mirror. "Very pretty, Emma."

Emma blushed at hearing Rumald's compliment. Albert came to Emma's side and put his arm around her. Belle never got tired of seeing the two of them together and the look they unknowingly share with one another. It was probably similar to the one that Rumald and her shared.

"Here." Emma said handing over a wrapped gift to Albert.

"Thanks!" Albert said taking the gift from her and ripped the wrapping from around the present. Emma took the wrapping from him, as he frowned down at the brown leather bond book. A quick glance up at Emma, he flicked open the book and turned the pages with a smile replacing frown. The pace he turned the pages quicken until he got to the end. Smiling broadly at Emma, Albert leaned into her and kissed her sweetly.

"I love it. Thank you." He told her as he hugged her.

Belle felt teary watching them and blinked her eyes to try to stop herself crying, as she asked. "Come on then, what she get you?"

They broke apart and Albert came over to Belle, holding the leather bond book towards Belle. Taking the book from him, Belle flicked it open and smiled seeing two toddlers sitting on a blanket together. She turned the page as Rumald came to stand beside her, his face close to hers as he leaned onto the table behind her.

"I remember that." Rumald said pointing to a picture of two toddlers playing in a small house. "That was taken in the back garden."

Belle turned another page, slightly distracted by Rumald's closeness over her shoulder. The next picture was a small boy and girl, sat on a beach making sand castles together. Rumald turned to the next page, chuckling at the photo of two kids dressed for Halloween, the boy dressed as Spiderman and the girl dressed as a princess. Belle smiled up at Emma, who looked slightly uncomfortable with Rumald and Belle going through the book.

Rumald took the book from Belle's hands and turned a couple more pages, before he halted about to turn another page. The smile on his face melted away at whatever he saw on the page. He gave the book back to Belle and walked away from them to the kitchen. Belle scowled at the picture and then her face eased, seeing the two kids sat between their respective mothers. Milah had her arm around Albert, pointing at whoever was taking the photo, smiling with her sunglasses on. She closed the book and handed the book back to Albert.

"That's such a thoughtful present." Belle said standing up from the table. "You must have spent a lot of time finding those pictures."

"My mum's kept a collection of them over the years. It was more troublesome choosing which ones, as there were so many good ones." Emma said with her gaze on Albert beside her, as he went through the book again.

Belle glanced over to Rumald, who was pouring himself a whiskey at the kitchen island. His face was dark as he glared down at his glass. Turning away from him, Belle slid her gift towards Albert on the table. He looked from his book to the bag.

"Happy birthday, Bae!" Belle said drawing Albert into a hug and kissed him on his cheek.

"Shouldn't call him Bae." She heard Rumald grumbling behind her. Sighing into Albert's shoulder, she angled her head to whisper to Albert to take Emma and his present upstairs and open it. He grimaced a smile at her when they moved away from each other and picked up the bag from the table. Belle watched them leave the room and waited until she could not hear their footsteps on the stairs.

Twirling on the spot, Belle stepped towards the kitchen counter, which divided them. "Did you want to say something?"

"What?" Rumald questioned after taking a sip of his whiskey.

"I heard you grumbling." Belle told him, bracing herself onto the counter.

"I've asked you not to call him Bae." He said aligning his glass to look at the whiskey in it.

Belle pulled a face at him. "I believe you told me, not asked, told me not to call him Bae anymore." She said shifting her weight. "But I have a tendency not to do as I am told, evident by being here with you."

"Don't let me stop you. You know where the front door is." Rumald said and finished off the whiskey in his glass.

"Rumald," Belle moved around the counter to stand beside him, laying her hand on his forearm. "Don't make this about us or Bae." He sheepishly looked at her. "You're letting her win, even after all this time."

Her hand moved from his arm to his face, as she said. "Don't put your guard back up."

He closed his eyes, bringing his hand up to pressed against the back of her hand. "I'm sorry."

"He is dying for you to call him Bae." Belle said to him, stroking her thumb against his cheek. "Why can't you? Even if it's just for today."

"Oh, god." Rumald groaned and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. "It's just ammunition she can throw at me. It's just easier, to save an argument, to not call him Bae."

Belle stoked the back of his head. "For me, call him Bae tonight."

She heard him take a deep breath, as he leaned back and kissed her cheek. "I… I…" His eyes searched for something in her own before he said. "I'm so glad you're here."

Belle smiled at him, but felt like he was going to say something else. His shoulders rose and fell before he sidestepped her and buttoned up his suit jacket, and made his way to the entrance hall. She observed him for a moment and then followed behind him, grabbing her clutch purse from the breakfast table.

"Bae!" Rumald called up the stairs. There was a loud bang upstairs. He turned his head to see Belle over his shoulder, a look of bafflement on his face. A small cry of 'we're coming' came from up the stairs. Belle stood at the bottom of the stairs, while Rumald opened the front door and pulled his keys out of his pants pockets.

Emma was the first to appear at the top of the stairs, followed down the stairs by Albert, who was scrunching his eyebrows at his father. Stepping off the last step, Albert surprised Belle by sweeping her up into a hug and kissed her cheek. Rumald offered his arm to Emma, who smiled at him taking his arm, and escorted her out of the house. They left Albert and Belle in the house. Smiling Belle kissed Albert's cheek before moving away from him, taking hold of his arm to lead him out of the door.

"Thank you, Belle." Albert said to her.

He paused and let Belle go through the doorway first, pulling the door close behind them as Belle said. "Got the right game, did I?"

"Not for that, but I do love my present!" He informed her, supporting her down the steps. "For putting up with my dad."

"Oh, it's not that hard of a job." Belle said, remarking Rumald who was waiting beside his car for them. Emma was sat on the backseat of the car with her door opened, watching Belle and Albert approach the car.


	31. Chapter 31

They drove a little outside of Storybrooke and took a turning, where two big cast iron gates blocked the road. Rumald dug into the pocket of his door and pressed a button on a remote, aiming it towards the gates in front of them. The gates slowly began to open whilst Rumald put the remote back into his door and took his foot off the brake to let the car roll forward on its own accord. Belle smiled nervously, looking from the gates to Rumald beside her. He drove on when the gates were wide enough for the car, his hand leisurely rested on top of the steering wheel. A glance over her shoulder at Albert and Emma, who were too wrapped up in one another to care where they were going.

A wall of trees either side of the road, blocked the view of what was up ahead. Rumald slowed the car when they came to a slight bend in the road, where the wall of trees ended and opened out onto a vast green clearing, littered with various flowerbeds and planters. In awe of the picturesque sight, Belle missed the car coming to a stop and the kids piling out of the back of the car. It was not until Rumald's fingers stroked down the side of her neck and travelled along her bare shoulder, did she turn her head to look at him.

"You okay?" He asked her, while his eyes followed the path of his fingers back up her shoulder to her neck.

"It's just so… beautiful." Belle said smiling at him.

Rumald shifted nearer on the bench seat, as he trailed his fingers across the back of her neck. "There's only one beautiful thing here tonight and thankfully, she's coming home with me."

"Oh, Mr Gold, flattery will get you everywhere." Belle said to him, echoing his exact words from their dinner date.

"Miss French," He purred at her, whilst his fingers hooked around her neck and gently lured her towards him. "One does hope."

Their lips locked together. The kiss was short and sweet, but they lingered in the closeness, their warm breath washed over each other's face. Belle opened her eyes to find him with his still closed. The pattern his fingers traced onto the nape of her neck tingled and triggered her to bite her lower lip and curl her toes inside her heels. She lifted her hand to his face and trailed her nails down his smooth cheek. His breath hitched and caused Belle to smile at his reaction.

"We've got a dinner to get to." She informed him and pulled the latch on her door. The sound of the door unlocking made Rumald open his eyes and smile when he saw Belle smiling at him. As he shifted back to his driver's door, Belle climbed out of the car and tugged the hem of her dress down before closing her door. She was greeted by Rumald at the back of the car, offering his arm to her which she took gladly, seeing the amount of steps that led up to the entrance of the mansion. They climbed the steps together and shared a smile between them.

When they got to the top of the steps, Rumald removed her hand from around his arm and said. "I've got to go and sort Bae's birthday surprise out."

"Oh, okay." Belle replied and was treated to another kiss from Rumald before he quickly disappeared around the corner of the mansion. Shifting her clutch purse under her arm, Belle made her way inside and found Emma and Albert in the large entrance hall talking to Gladius. She crossed the room to where they stood and smiled at Gladius, when the older woman saw Belle over Emma's shoulder.

"Gladius," Belle held her hand out for Gladius to take, which she did. "It's so nice to see you again and thank you for inviting me."

Gladius was more preoccupied with eyeing Belle's dress. "My dear, you're astonishing!"

"Thank you." Belle blushed at the compliment, her eyes gazing down at the tips of her heels.

"Don't be embarrassed when receiving a compliment." Gladius stated to Belle, tilting Belle's head back up with her fingers under Belle's chin. "Especially one you have not fished for, unlike my daughter."

Belle smiled at Gladius as she nervously shifted her purse under her arm. Gladius turned her attention back to Emma and Albert by stepping between them and hooked her arms with them to lead them through a doorway into a sitting room. Silently Belle trailed behind them, her eyes danced from the different paintings and sculptures that were on display. As she came into the sitting room, her eyes found a large bookcase and her legs instantly made a beeline to it.

Her fingers brushed over the spines of the books, mentally reading the titles of the books to herself. She selected a book from the shelf and turned to the first page of the story, reading it quickly before she returned the book to the shelf. Another title of a book caught her attention. With her finger posed ready to select the book from the shelf, a voice boomed out over the excited chatter of Albert, who was telling Gladius about Emma's present.

"What the hell is she doing here!" Milah exclaimed to the room. Belle slowly turned to see Milah in the doorway, giving Belle a look that would have killed her, if looks could kill.

"I invited her." Gladius said sternly, remaining seated between Albert and Emma.

Milah flung her hand towards Belle, while she looked at her mother. "Then uninvited her. This is my baby boy's birthday dinner. Family only."

"Milah," Gladius's tone even made Belle jump. "Shut up and sit down."

"Come on, love." The younger man crooned to Milah, his hand on her lower back. The shocked expression on Milah's face made Belle chuckle, watching as the man guided her to an armchair and helped her sit down. He angled his head to see Belle and with a quick look down at Milah crossed the room to greet Belle.

"Hi, I'm Killian." His Irish accent was thick as he spoke and offered his hand to her.

Belle shook his hand. "Belle."

"Oh, I know who you are, love." Killian smiled at her, saying in a quieter voice. "It's all I bloody hear."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Belle rhetorically asked him, rolling her eyes at his comment. There was a call for him. He glanced over his shoulder and excused himself from her to return to Milah's side. She laughed quietly at the glare Milah gave Killian, as he crossed the room to stand beside the chair she inhabited.

Shaking her head, Belle turned back to the bookcase and removed the book from the shelf, which had caught her attention before Milah's dramatic entrance. She flicked open the book and began reading the first page, and found herself drawn into the story. Hungrily Belle devoured the pages and had reached chapter two in the book, when she heard a distant call for everyone to come outside onto the patio. Oblivious, Belle carried on reading the book and bit the end of her thumbnail, as she got lost in the story.

"I believe everyone was asked to come outside, dearie." His thick brogue tickled her ear and startled her, causing the book and her clutch purse to drop to the floor as his lips descended onto her neck. Her hand naturally went to the back of his head to encourage him, angling her head away from him. His hands smoothed over her dress and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her against himself.

Suddenly, Belle remembered where they were. "Rumald!"

"Hmm…" He mumbled kissing her shoulder.

"Stop!" She pleaded inclining her head to see if anyone else was in the room. His lips smiled against her skin before he kissed her shoulder again. Gradually he lowered his arms from around her and moved around her to collect the book and her clutch purse from the floor. Rumald shelved the book and pocketed her clutch purse into his suit jacket pocket.

"Come on," He smiled at her, splaying his hand across her lower back to escort her outside. "Come and see my surprise for Bae."

Belle squinted her eyes at him, letting him lead her through the sitting room. They crossed the threshold and joined everyone on the patio. She felt cheated when his hand left her back and he shuffled pass her to go to Albert's side. Her shoulder brushed against Emma's, as she came to a standstill beside her. Emma twisted her head to look at Belle beside her and flashed her a smile.

"Right, baby boy." Rumald said slapping his hand down onto Albert's shoulder. "Close your eyes."

Albert gave his father a quizzical look and closed his eyes, and laughed nervously. Rumald smiled warmly at his son and briefly touched his face before he descended the steps and quickly jogged off out of sight. Belle tried to see where he had gone, when she heard a car turnover and start. Both, Emma and Belle, stepped forward as an old style Camaro came into view. The car was black with two red stripes across the length of the car. He parked the car and turned it off, and climbed out of it to stand beside it.

"Open your eyes, Bae!" Rumald shouted to Albert, who opened his eyes on command. "Happy birthday, son!"

"Dad!" Albert cried stumbling down the stairs. "Oh my god! It's the car I wanted!"

Belle smiled widely at the sight of them, watching as Albert launched himself at his father, who caught him mid-air, laughing together. She wished she had her clutch purse, so she could take a picture on her phone, but was thankful when she saw Emma was doing it. The happy moment was broken for Belle, hearing Milah mumbling to Killian nearby.

"How many times do I have to tell him, to stop calling him Bae? His name is Albert!" Milah whispered to Killian, watching them out of the corner of her eye. At hearing Milah, Belle let out a low growl and crossed her arms in front of her, while her temper quietly boiled. Her fingers dug into her arm, as she held back the urge to tell Milah where to shove it, hating the woman for ruining her enjoyment of Rumald's surprise for Albert.

"Come on, boys!" Gladius called to them, whilst they stooped to see the interior of the car. Hearing his grandmother's call, Albert ran up the steps and joined Emma, walking side by side, as they went back into the mansion excitedly chatting. Gladius ambled in behind them, smiling at Belle as she went inside behind them. As Belle turned to follow Gladius, she halted hearing Milah speak.

"That won't make up for how much of a waste of space you are, Rum." Milah told Rumald, as he walked up the steps.

Belle spun round ready to let her fury out, when she heard Rumald laugh. "I'm sorry, dearie, but I think you're talking about yourself."

"What?" Milah shoved his shoulder, making him stumble back down a step.

"Just save it!" Rumald ordered stepping up the step again and stood very close to Milah. "Tonight is about him, not us. If you want to shout and scream at me, then you can come by tomorrow and tell me all my faults. But right now," He leaned into her, baring his teeth as he spoke, stabbing his finger in the air towards the mansion. "It's his birthday!"

"Fine!" Milah seethed at him. They held each other's glares for a second longer. Making a 'pfft' noise at her, he marched pass her into the mansion, leaving them all on the patio. Milah did a double take when her eyes met with Belle's across the patio. The glare Milah gave Belle only encouraged her to smirk at Rumald's ex-wife.

"Hang on, I forgot something." Rumald said hurrying out of the patio doors to grab hold of Belle's hand and hauled her back through the door with him. Belle tripped over her own feet, at the speed he dragged her through the door, her smirk widened as she glanced back to see Milah's confused face. Killian stood beside her, tightly clasping her wrist as he whispered into her ear. Shaking her head, she quickened her step to fall in beside him and latched her fingers with his, holding onto his arm to steady herself.

Rumald smiled at her beside him, as they entered the dining room that laid ready for Albert's birthday dinner. He sweetly kissed her forehead, bringing her to a standstill at one of the chairs to the table. Pulling out her chair for her, he waited for her to take a seat and helped her tuck herself under the table. Smiling at her, Rumald retrieved her clutch purse from his suit jacket pocket and placed it on the table beside her place setting. She frowned at him as he walked around the table to take the seat opposite her at the table.

"Rumald," Gladius said drawing his attention, when his hand grabbed his chair. "If I'd known, I would have seated you together."

"It's no bother, Gladius." He waved a hand at her and pulled his chair out. Belle scrutinised him from across the table, as he unbuttoned his suit jacket to remove it and placed it on the back of his chair. A smile played over her lips, thinking back to their afternoon spent in her room in Grannies. Belle bit her lip at the image and shifted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable with the sensations her body remembered.

"Something the matter, dear?" Gladius asked Belle, sitting at the end of the table nearest Belle.

Belle's head shot to Gladius's direction. "No, no, I'm fine."

"You just look a little bothered, dear." Gladius said picking up her glass of water.

"Just overwhelmed with seeing Albert so happy outside." Belle quickly lied, feeling Rumald's gaze on her over the table. The chair beside Belle pulled out and took Gladius's attention away from Belle, telling whomever it was that they were in the next chair. Not feeling the focus of attention, Belle gazed at Rumald over the table, finding him watching her as he sipped at his glass of water.

"Albert, you're next to your father and Emma is next to you." Gladius informed her grandson, pointing in turn to each seat. Letting her eyes sweep the table, Belle found Killian sat beside her and Milah at the other end of the table. She thanked whatever god, for not putting Milah beside her at the table, not knowing whether she could refrain herself from stabbing Milah. Killian caught her looking in his direction and smiled kindly at her. Returning his smile, Belle looked away, amused by the glare Rumald sent Killian across the table.

The servers came into the room and began placing starters in front of everyone. Another server came out of the kitchen with a bottle of wine and began pouring the wine into people's glasses, apart from Emma and Albert's. Belle thanked the server with a curt nod of her head and reached for the glass of wine to try it, surprised it was the wine from their dinner date. Her eyes went to Rumald, who was chatting to Albert beside him whilst he ate his starter. Nodding his head at his father, Albert removed his suit jacket and put it on the back of his chair, mirroring his father.

"So, Miss French," Milah began to say, drawing everyone's attention to her end of the table. "I hear you're working at Grannies. How do you find it?"

Belle drew her eyebrows down over her eyes, wondering why Milah was asking her such a question, but answered anyway. "I enjoy it. It's nice to meet different people every day and get to know the regulars."

"It's sad you wasted all that time at college, just to work in a diner." Milah commented and took a delicate mouthful from her fork.

"Milah." Rumald warned with his wine glass held up near his lips.

"I'm just saying." Milah shrugged her shoulders, pressing some more food onto her fork.

"Love, don't." Killian touched Milah's forearm, who snatched her arm away from his hand.

"Milah," Gladius used a cautioning tone to Milah. "If you haven't got anything nice to say, then don't say anything."

They carried on eating their starters in silence, each one finishing in turn before the servers came back into the room and collected their used plates. Belle sipped at her wine, smiling at Rumald across the table as he leant forward towards Albert, talking to Emma on the other side of Albert. A server appeared beside Belle and topped up her wine glass. As the server neared Rumald, he gestured to Albert and Emma and told the server to give them a small amount each.

After all their glasses had been topped up with wine, Rumald cleared his throat and picked up his wine glass, shifting on his seat to face Albert. "I'm so proud of the man, my Bae is becoming. Two more years and you'll be your own man, but you will always be my baby boy. Happy birthday, Bae!"

There was a chorus of happy birthday from around the table and everyone took a drink from their wine, except for Milah. Emma pulled a face after taking a drink from her wine and put the glass back down on the table. Albert was the polar opposite and finished the small amount of wine they had been given. Belle grinned at the difference between them, when Milah started talking.

"Seeing as your father got to do a bit of a toast, I think I should say something." Milah reached for Killian's hand on the table. "Killian and I are going to be making a fresh start here Storybrooke." Killian turned to Milah and urged her to stop, but she carried on nonetheless. "We're going to have a baby!"

Gladius bolted up from her seat and slammed her hands down onto the table, making the items on the table clatter. "MILAH!"

Sitting still with her arms resting on the table, Belle's eyes focused on Albert, whose fists were clenched on the table with his head hanging low, keeping his face out of sight of everyone. Emma had her arm around him and angled her head trying to see his face, as she tried to talk to him.

"What?" Milah exclaimed at her mother. "I was only sharing some good news with everyone!"

"At his birthday dinner!" Gladius gestured to Albert. "I cannot believe you're my daughter!"

"I did try to speak with him, but he wouldn't talk to me. And Rum wouldn't get Albert to talk to me!" Milah said throwing her hand in Rumald's direction, who sat with his hands covering his face, leaning onto the table with his elbows.

"How is that an excuse!" Gladius yelled, as the servers came through into the dining room. Furiously, Gladius waved her hand at the servers and sent them back to the kitchen.

Everyone jumped when Rumald slammed his fists down onto the table, and broke the serving plate in front of him and knocked over his water and wine glass. Albert remained with his head bowed, not moving or saying anything to anyone. Slowly Rumald stood up from his chair, glaring over at Milah as he bent down to whisper into Albert's ear. Rumald straightened up, his eyes constantly on Milah, whilst Albert vacated his chair and ran out of the room with Emma close behind him.

"I have taken some shit from you over the years." Rumald began to say, supporting himself over the table with his hands. "But you have gone too far tonight by robbing our son of one special night, where it was all about him. It should have been too much on Sunday, when you were throwing things at me. I won't stand for this anymore!" He banged his fist on the table, making everything clatter again.

Rumald took a deep breath and continued. "You hated how Bae became my everything and he always will be, no matter what happens. I love him more than life, which you will never be able to fathom." He pointed his finger at her. "But you, you're always going to be a cold hearted bitch!"

Milah started blabbering incoherent words, shell-shocked by Rumald's small speech. Retracting himself from the table, Rumald marched around the table to Gladius and stooped to kiss her cheek, whispering something into her ear. She touched his cheek and nodded at whatever he said. As Belle glanced to Killian beside her, who had his head titled forward and his eyes closed, Rumald collected her clutch purse from the table and held his hand out for her to take.

"Belle." Rumald called to her. She placed her hand inside his and pushed her chair out from underneath her. As they left the table, Belle forced a smile at Gladius as she trailed behind Rumald. Together they went through the mansion and came out onto the front porch, where Belle saw Albert and Emma hugging one another. They came down the steps together and quickly crossed to where Albert and Emma stood beside Rumald's car.

As Rumald and Belle came closer, Albert pulled away from Emma to reveal the tears streaking down his face. "Why am I not good enough?"

"Oh, Bae!" Belle cried and swung her arms around him, crushing him into her. His body shook against her, his warm tears dropped onto her shoulder and ran hot trails down her skin. Rumald leaned into them and whispered to Albert to get into the car. Doing as his father asked, Albert sniffled into his shirtsleeve and got into the back of the car. Emma slid into the seat beside Albert and closed the back door.


	32. Chapter 32

Lounging on the couch in the living room, Belle flexed her toes thankful for the freedom from her heels with her legs propped on the arm of the couch. She was grateful for the peace and quiet of the house, hiding in the shadows cast into the living room from the light in the entrance hall. The drive home from Gladius's had been an awkward silence, while Albert had cried on and off in the backseat of the car. She could never imagine what her friend was going through, but would give anything so he did not have to go through it. Belle had uncomfortably sat sideways on the front seat, her arm hanging over the back of the seat, so she could stroke the back of his head as he held his head in his hands.

After getting home, Rumald had sat Albert down in the kitchen and listened to Albert vent, affectionately rubbing a soothing hand over his son's back. Emma sat across the table from them, holding onto Albert's hand for dear life, while Belle had made everyone a cup of tea. Listening to their heart to heart, Belle had fought the urge to hug Albert at hearing the heartache Albert carried because of his mother. She understood that pain too well and it had made a few tears escape down her cheeks before she had left the room for the living room. It was not about her, it was about him.

About ten o'clock, Emma received a phone call from Mary-Margaret, inquiring where her daughter was as she should have been due home by nine. Nominating himself, Rumald had taken Emma home, while Albert had muttered he was going to bed on his way up the stairs, leaving Belle in the living room with her thoughts. Most of her thoughts had been about her own father, trying to figure out why he could not put her first, just as Milah could not put Albert first. Even though Albert was not her own child, she could never imagine putting her needs before him. The fact her own father and Milah could not do the same thing for their children baffled Belle.

The front door opened and Rumald entered the house, his head hanging low as he quietly closed the door. He angled himself to look through into the kitchen and saw no one was in there, before he scanned the living room to find her lying on the couch. Rumald shuffled to the doorway and leaned against the wooden surround of the doorway, and shoved his keys into his pants pocket whilst he undid his tie, pulling it from around his neck collar.

"Hey." He said to her, his voice nearly a whisper, whilst he threw the tie to the nearest seat.

"Emma okay?" Belle asked him, shifting herself up the couch cushions she had propped behind her back.

"Remind me never to upset that girl." Rumald chuckled to himself and pushed himself away from the doorway to come into the living room, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt. "She's offering to punch Milah's lights out for me, seeing as I'm supposedly a gentleman these days."

"You're always a gentleman." Belle told him, as he lifted her feet and sat down onto the couch with her, laying her legs onto his lap.

He ignored what she said and clasped her foot between his hands, as he rubbed his thumb firmly into the ball of her foot. "You looked so sexy in those heels."

Belle groaned and lulled her head back against the cushions, enjoying the pleasure he was easing into her foot. "Ruby chose them."

"Did she now?" Rumald said distantly, leaving one foot to rub the other foot in the same manner.

"I really can't get my head around Milah." Belle mumbled.

Rumald's thumb ran up the arch of her foot, satisfying him when Belle took a sharp breath. "She wasn't always like…" He trailed off shaking his head with a chuckle. "How cliché of me? She wasn't always this bad, I should say."

"What? When you first met?" Belle questioned and bit her lip, as Rumald played with her toes.

"Hmm." He murmured in thought and said. "I was over here on business for my father, visiting New York to meet some antique dealers, who had some pieces my father was interesting in procuring for a client." He paused as he changed to her other foot. "I was sat in the hotel bar feeling sorry for myself, hence drinking myself into a stupor."

"Albert said you spilt a drink on Milah, or something like that." She interjected watching his fingers work the toes on her other foot.

Rumald glanced up from her feet to her face, stopping his massage to give her a cheeky grin. "Were you asking him about me?"

"Shut up and get on with the story." Belle instructed wriggling her toes for him to continue.

He chuckled as he continued with the story and her feet. "I don't remember when she took the seat next to me. I just remember the barman, putting my beer and whiskey chaser in front of me, before I accidentally knocked the bottle over, as I showed the barman my room key." Rumald closed his eyes at the memory, though to Belle's delight his thumbs carried on kneading into her foot. "Her scream scared the hell out of me."

Belle observed him, seeing it was painful for him to remember. "I grabbed all the napkins off the bar and tried to dab her dress dry, apologising profusely to her. It was then, she'd let me have both barrels, dressing me down in the middle of the bar. Never had a woman spoken to me like that before."

"Are you telling me, Milah telling you off, did it for you?" Belle asked him, playfully using her free foot to poke his chest, trying to lighten his features by making him smile.

His eyes open at the same time he caught hold of her foot. "I wouldn't say it was the telling off. It was more her fierceness, her confidence." He explained before saying. "I was enthralled by her and when I managed to apologise again, she stopped shouting at me. Something about my accent or something like that."

"Oh, I know all about the effects of your accent." Belle commented smoothing a hand down the front of her dress.

"Me accent, eh?" Rumald laid his accent on thick as he spoke. At hearing his brogue, Belle's toes instantly squeezed against his fingers and his chest, and bit down onto her lower lip. He smiled raising one of her feet to his lips and kissed the top of her toes.

Her foot lingered near his mouth, his warm breath tickled her skin, as he said. "We chatted after that and as you can imagine, things led to other things, which led me to waking up with her in my hotel room." Rumald lowered her foot down and rested it on his thigh. "I was only supposed to be in New York for a week, but I stayed an extra week to be with her. We didn't leave each other's side the whole two weeks 'til my father ordered me to come home."

"Business trip romance." Belle grumbled, beginning to feel jealous.

"Suppose." He mumbled rubbing his hand up and down one of her shins. "I'd left her my contact details, but I didn't hear from her 'til about three months after that, when she sent me letter saying she was pregnant."

Belle frowned at him, shifting a cushion behind her head so she could sit up more. "The way you tell it, she doesn't sound so self-absorb yet."

His fingers traced up the inside of her legs. "She wasn't so bad at the beginning or while she was pregnant, because, of course, the attention was on her and everyone was making such a fuss. It was all about her, you have to remember, and I was probably behaving like some lovesick idiot. Everything I did was for her."

"When did it get worse?" Belle questioned, as she quivered from his nails dragging lazily down the inside of her leg.

"As soon as Bae was born." He said with warm smile blooming over his face, revealing the crow's feet at the corner of his eyes. "She did not like that one bit. When I would just get him to sleep, she would kick off at me and accuse me of everything under the sun. Thinking back on it, I think Milah did it just to get a rise out of me, but I wouldn't back then. I did everything I could to make sure she was happy and giving her the right amount of attention, but I guess I just bored her after a while."

"How can someone be jealous of their own child?" Belle asked him.

Rumald shrugged his shoulders. "Gladius blames Milah's father, Walter. He went beyond doting father. Whatever Milah wanted, she got it. If she wanted his attention, she got it. If she didn't want to go on a family vacation, then he would cancel it because she told him to do it."

Belle shook her head. "Spoilt brat syndrome."

"If you want to give it a title." He said and let out a long sigh. "I told Gladius not to invite her."

"It's a difficult situation no matter what happened." Belle told him, watching his fingers trail down the top of her left leg. "She can't not invite her own daughter to her grandson's birthday dinner."

Rumald went back to playing with her toes, as he said. "I don't want to talk about her anymore."

"What would you like to talk about then?" Belle asked yawning, stroking some of her hair behind her ear.

"Have you got to work tomorrow?" He asked moving her legs so he could get up from the couch.

Belle shook her head at him, as she covered her mouth with her hand to hide another yawn. "Nope, not 'til Sunday."

"Good, 'cause I wasn't letting you go back to Grannies tonight." Rumald told her and yanked her up from the couch into a standing position in front of him.

"You weren't?" Belle asked stifling another yawn.

Snaking his arm around her waist, Rumald led her towards the entrance hall. "Not when you're wearing that dress."

"What's wrong with my dress?" Belle sleepily looked down at her dress.

"There's nothing wrong with your dress, dearie. You look amazing in it." He informed her, reaching for the light switch in the hallway, and turned off the light to plunge them into darkness. "I'd rather see it on my bedroom floor."

"That's nice." She mumbled tripping up some of the steps, exhaustion was starting to get the better of her after the long day she had, working the early shift at Grannies and dealing with the evening's events. When she stumbled a second time, Rumald took hold of her left hand and drew her closer with the arm around her, helping up the stairs. The closer they got to the top of the stairs, the more weight Belle leaned onto him. He kissed the top of her head and guided her into his bedroom, kicking the door close behind him.


	33. Chapter 33

Slowly waking up, Belle turned over onto her back and opened her eyes to look up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Her hand reached across to his side of the bed and found nothing, not even a hint of warmth to show he had just gotten out of bed. Frowning she lifted her head to look around the room and saw his phone was gone from his bedside table. She let her head fall back into the pillow and sighed pulling the covers up over her shoulders, whilst she turned onto her side to face his side of the bed. The disappointment she felt of waking up again, not to find him beside her, did not sit well with her. Her last thought, after snuggling her back up against his chest, was how nice it was going to be to find him beside her.

She reached up to his pillow from under the cover and moved it towards her, titling her head forward to smell his aftershave lingering on his pillow. At least this time, she could still smell him, which seemed to soften the bitterness of him not being there. Letting go of his pillow, Belle sat up in the bed and crossed her legs, and self-consciously covered herself with the covers. She had not spent much time looking around his room last night, distracted by Rumald's wakening touches and the urgency of trying to keep quiet as they had their way with one another. Remembering last night, Belle stared at her dress lying pooled on the floor, near the door to his room, and smiled.

Looking round to the clock on the bedside, Belle was shocked to see it was half ten in the morning and quickly climbed out of his bed. She dashed into his ensuite bathroom and turned on his shower, leaving it for a few minutes to get hot. Sweeping some hair over her shoulder, Belle gazed at herself in the mirror, thankful she remembered to remove her makeup before they fell asleep. Belle had learnt the hard way to remove her makeup before going to sleep, when Gaston had laughed at her when they had woken up one morning, calling her panda face.

With steam starting to cloud the mirror, Belle stepped into the shower and closed the glass door behind her. Propping herself up against a wall of the shower, the hot water smoothed her hair back and ran down her back to her feet. She titled her head forward, changing the direction of the water to run down her front, chasing away the chill from her skin and relaxing her.

The glass door of the shower clanked. The sound of it opening made her jump into the corner of the shower, out of the spray, and tried foolishly to cover herself with her arms. The door clanked shut as Rumald entered the shower, still fully dressed, and slid his hands around her. She hooked her arms around his neck when she realised it was him, while his hand snaked up between her arms to angle her face to him. There was a brief moment of them staring into each other's eyes, before Rumald clamped his lips down onto hers, hungrily eating her lips. As they kissed, Rumald pressed her against one of the walls.

His t-shirt clung to his chest, showing a light outline of his definition through the fabric. Belle clawed at his t-shirt to bunch over his shoulders and raked it up and over his head, forcing them to break their kiss to remove his wet t-shirt. When his t-shirt slopped from his arms, Rumald was swift to clasp his hands either side of her face, latching his lips back onto hers. While her hands ran through his soaked hair, Rumald's hands ran down her body, tickling and caressing on their travels as they went down to the back of her legs to lift her up. She groaned into his mouth as he pushed himself further against her, gaining more access to her with her legs around him, his hands supported her under her backside.

Rumald slid one of his hands along her thigh and dipped his hand pass her leg to push his sweatpants down from his hips. Feeling him free himself, Belle gasped into his mouth whilst his tongue invaded hers. She clung to him when he angled himself to let his hand slide between them.

"Belle!" Albert called from the other room. Belle's head shot up to look over her shoulder to the bathroom door, scared Albert was about to come into the room.

"Belle, you okay?" Albert asked, sounding very near the bathroom door.

"Yeah, just having a shower." Belle told him reaching out for the shower gel on the little shelf and squeezed some out onto her hand.

"We went and got breakfast." He said. "I've got a bag of some of your clothes for you. I'll leave it on the bed for you."

She started rubbing the soap over herself. "Thank you!"

After a couple of seconds, she heard the bedroom door click shut and let out a small sigh, thinking how daydreaming could be dangerous. Especially daydreams of that nature. Knowing they were waiting with breakfast downstairs, she washed and dried herself before leaving the bathroom for the bedroom. She rummaged through the bag of clothes and chose to wear a black knee length skirt and light blue blouse, and slipped her shoes on from the night before. Before going downstairs, Belle made the bed and shoved her clothes from the previous night into her bag of clothes.

As she descended the stairs, Belle was going through her phone looking at the messages and emails she had received overnight. She replied to a message from Ruby as she came into the kitchen and sat down into a chair at the breakfast table, without acknowledging anyone else in the room. Smirking Belle put the phone down onto the table and gazed up to find Albert leant forward onto the table eating his breakfast and watching something on his phone, while Rumald hid behind his newspaper. There was a paper bag marked with Grannies sat on the table. She picked it up and reached inside it to find a food container. Carefully Belle took it out of the bag and put it in front of her, and lifted the lid to find Grannies pancake breakfast. Finding a fork on the table, Belle dug happily into her breakfast, enjoying the quiet family time.

Rumald folded his paper up and dropped it onto the table, as he twisted out of his seat taking his coffee cup with him. "Coffee, Belle?"

"Yes, please." Belle replied watching him move around the kitchen. She liked seeing him without his suit jacket. Something about him in his waistcoat did ungodly things to her inners.

When he came back to the table, he placed her coffee in front of her, saying. "I was thinking we could go to the beach house today. I know how you really enjoy going there."

"Really?" Albert looked up at his father. "Can we get the jet ski out?"

"Whatever you want, son." Rumald said sitting down into his chair.

"Can Emma come too?" Albert asked excitedly.

Rumald drank some of his coffee. "As long as the Nolans are alright with it."

Albert jumped up out of his seat, grabbed hold of Rumald's head and kissed the top of his father's head. "I'll go ask her and pack some things!"

With her fork inside her mouth, her lips clamped around the cold metal, Belle considered Albert as he ran out of the room with his phone held against his ear, sprinting up the stairs in the entrance hall. Rumald shook his head and collected his newspaper from the table, after shaking it open he returned to reading the paper. Belle slid her fork out and ate the food in her mouth.

After swallowing the pancake, Belle sipped her coffee and asked. "Beach house?"

"Yeah. I thought it would cheer him up. He loves going there." Rumald said, laying his newspaper down to see her.

"You have a beach house and a cabin… and a town." Belle listed off his properties, using her fingers to indicate them. "What don't you own?"

He drank some of his coffee, while he thought about it. "I think the fire station and sheriff's office. I think… Yeah, I don't own them."

"The two places in town that don't make any money." Belle said and bit into a strawberry.

For a second, Rumald did not say anything and his eyes focused on her lips. Visibly swallowing hard, he crossed his legs and repositioned his newspaper, shaking out the creases in his newspaper. She smirked whilst she ate the rest of her breakfast, washing it down with her coffee when she finished it.

When his phone rung, Rumald dropped his newspaper onto the table and dug his hand into his pocket to retrieve it. "Gold."

Belle grabbed her tray and coffee cup, leaving the table to put the tray into the bin, and poured herself another cup of coffee, while she listened to Rumald. "I thought he wouldn't."

Coming around the kitchen counter that separated the kitchen and breakfast table, Belle placed her coffee cup onto the table and slid her hand down the front of his chest, bending down to kiss his neck. "I take it you've already been round there this morning?"

He leaned his head to one side and switched his phone to the other ear, and reached his hand up to thread his fingers into her damp hair. "He did, did he? That doesn't change the situation. He owes me money. Its thirty days. No exceptions, no matter what he thinks."

Belle smooth her hand over his chest, her kisses moved to his ear where she seized the moment to nip his ear lobe. "Shit! No, not you, Dove. Right, go back to his shop and tell him, if he doesn't pay by five o'clock today, his van is being taken."

She went to bite his ear again, but when he felt her teeth on his ear again, he yanked her mouth away by grabbing a fist of her hair. "That's not your concern. I will deal with the consequences. He should have paid! Just let me know how it goes. Right, bye."

"More trouble?" Belle asked him, stroking her fingers down his neck.

"The only trouble, I've got to deal with," He said scraping his chair back from the table and spun her round to sit down into his lap. "Is you teasing me!"

Her arms hooked around his neck as she leaned into him to kiss him, as his hand caressed her thigh. They carried on like young lovers, hungry and exploring with their hands and tongues. Belle gasped into his mouth, when his hand slid up underneath her skirt, clasping at her thigh. Threading her fingers into his hair and dragging her nails down his scalp, Rumald groaned breaking his lips away from hers, lulling his head back from the thrill she aroused in him.

"Whoa!" Albert exclaimed from the entryway into the kitchen. "Put the woman down! Or I will be forced to call the hanky panky police!"

Belle's head fell to rest on Rumald's shoulder, her body shaking with laughter, while Rumald said. "I'm going to remember this, you know? Next time, I catch you and Emma making out I'm going to embarrass you."

"You've got nothing on me, dad." Albert said cheerfully, a smug look on his face.

"Oh, really?" Rumald said sliding his hand out from Belle's skirt and pulled the hem down for her. "How sure are you about that?"

Albert glowered at his father, as he slowly came into the kitchen with a backpack in his hand. "O…kay…"

"Is Emma coming?" Belle asked raising her head from Rumald's shoulder.

"Yes." Albert muttered, while his eyes tried to find any truth in his father's threat in his father's eyes.

"I'm going to get changed then." Rumald announced to them, lifting Belle out of his lap so he could stand up from his chair.

Belle straightened her skirt. "I need to get some things from Grannies. Do you want to pick me up from there, in say… half an hour?"

"Sure." Rumald smiled and leant in to kiss her. As Rumald walked by Albert, the two held each other's gaze, and then headed off up the stairs removing his waistcoat. She touched Albert's face strolling around him to collect her phone from the kitchen table. A smile over her shoulder at Albert, Belle traipsed into living room to collect her clutch purse and left the house.


	34. Chapter 34

Belle sat breathless in the car, staring at Rumald's beach house in front of her, through the windshield of his car. It was modern, floor to ceiling glass exterior walls, framing the beautiful view through the house. Albert and Emma had set off down the wooden stairs to the beach below, hand in hand, carrying their respective bags over their shoulders. Hearing the trunk slam shut and feeling the car shake from the force; Belle tugged the latch to her door and climbed out onto the gravel driveway. Before closing her door, Belle grabbed her bag from the passenger footwell, feeling his hand hover over her lower back as she stood up straight. She turned her head to look at him and flashed Rumald a smile, while she closed the door to his car.

When he had met her at Grannies, she had nearly walked straight pass him whilst he had been talking to Grannie. Expecting to see him in his usual suit or even his t-shirt and jeans, Belle had not envisioned him to be wearing a thin white cotton shirt and green cargo shorts, and his sunglasses rested on top of his head. His attire was the polar opposite to his norm, changing the aurora around him from professional and formal to relaxed and carefree. She gazed at him beside her, as he guided her towards the beach house, carrying the supplies they had stopped to get at the convenience store. He looked so different, no care in the world and looking rather sharp with his sunglasses on over his eyes.

Nearing the door, Rumald quickened his step and overtook Belle to unlock the door to hold it open for her. As she stepped into the house, Belle felt daunted by the flawlessness of the house. The door swoosh shut behind Rumald, who left Belle in the hallway to go through into the kitchen, moving his sunglasses to rest on top of his head. Belle gazed at the floating wooden steps of the stairs to the next floor, wondering how the glass could handle the weight. Investigating, Belle stepped forward and looked up to the next floor before her eyes trailed down the stairs to the floor below.

"Belle." Rumald called. Ambling in the direction he had gone, Belle saw him standing at a very large kitchen island through the wall. He had unpacked some of the items from the bags onto the counter and stood at the counter pouring out two glasses of coke. Belle's eyes wandered the vast open plan room from the living room area to the sunken fire pit, with a sitting area surrounding it, situated between the living room and the kitchen.

"Belle, can you take these to Albert and Emma?" Rumald asked screwing the lid back onto the coke. Belle nodded her head at him as she came around the counter placing her bag onto it, and collected the glasses of coke. As she took the glasses from the counter, Rumald leaned in and kissed her before walking away to the windows that looked out onto the decking area, at the back of the house. Belle heard a click and then another click, as Rumald did something to the wall of windows. Enthralled she watched Rumald push the wall of windows open, each pane folded in against the next, until he stopped halfway along the wall to step out onto the deck, bracing his hands onto his hips.

Slowly Belle walked out onto the decking, her eyes inspecting the runners above and below. The idea of having a wall of windows open up blew Belle's brains. When her father and she had been moving from house to house, it had been a blessing if her bedroom window had opened or if they had AC in the house. It was a sour reminder of how good Albert's upbringing was, compared to her own. He would never understand or experience the strife each month to make sure you had money for rent and food. He could never comprehend going without the latest fad, because his father could not afford it. Rumald would make sure he never experienced those mundane struggles.

Sighing heavily, Belle trekked down the wooden steps, which led to the stairs Emma and Albert had gone down, and joined them on the decking area on the beach. Emma was folding her jeans to put into her bag, stood wearing a bikini. It was strange to see a young woman in front of Belle, instead of the young girl Belle had come to know.

"I'll put these here, Emma." Belle said placing the glasses of coke onto the railing surrounding the decking.

Emma glanced over her shoulder as she zipped up her bag. "Okay. Thanks."

"Where's Bae?" Belle asked stepping further onto the decking, her eyes sweeping over the water.

"He's gone to get the deck furniture." Emma said, gesturing towards a beach hut a few yards away.

"Ah!" Belle nodded her head turning to head back up the steps. "Holler if you want anything."

"Okay." Emma smiled taking one of the glasses of coke to sip. While Belle climbed back up the steps, she could not help twisting to see the view of the bay behind her. The cove made it their own private beach with a small mouth out onto the sea, surrounded by a wall of trees to keep it secluded to just them. Climbing the last steps to the house, Belle dreamt of what it would look like at sunset.

"Here you go." Rumald said behind Belle, startling her to turn to face him.

He held a glass of coke towards her, which she took from him turning back to the view. "That view is amazing."

"One of the reasons I bought it." He told her shuffling over to the couch of the patio set and fell into the plumped cushions.

"The other reason?" Belle asked him, crossing to take a seat next to him on the couch.

Rumald sipped his coke and smirked. "Milah wanted to buy it."

She rolled her eyes at his smirk and took a drink from her coke, which made her eyes bulged at the foreign taste in the coke. "What's in this?"

"Whiskey and coke." He said grinning and drank from his glass, knocking his sunglasses over his eyes.

"It's midday and you're breaking out the booze?" She questioned leaning forward to put her glass on the knee-high table, surrounded by the patio furniture.

"It won't kill us." Rumald mumbled leaning his head back into the cushions and lifted his feet up onto the table next to her drink.

Hearing a motor start below, Belle peered through the slates on the wooden railing to see Albert give Emma a life jacket from where he sat on the jet ski. The two of them were smiling as they fastened their lifejackets. Albert tugged the straps tighter on his jacket before checking Emma's. Holding her hand, Albert helped Emma onto the back of the jet ski and pulled her arms around him, talking to her over his shoulder as he patted his hands on top of hers on his stomach area. Emma nodded her head at whatever Albert said and scooted closer to him to cling onto him, as he slowly powered the jet ski to take them away from the shore.

"Don't we need to be down there?" Belle asked watching them pick up speed, hearing Emma's excited scream in the bay below.

"I'll go down in a minute." Rumald quietly mumbled. Frowning Belle turned her head to look at him, barely able to make out his eyes were shut under his sunglasses.

"Hey!" Belle swatted at his leg, causing him to jolt his head up from the cushions. "You can't go to sleep."

Rumald sat up and dropped his feet from the table, and placed his glass onto the table as he removed his sunglasses. "Sorry, just a little tired."

"If you'd been a bit more interested in sleeping last night," Belle folded her leg up underneath herself, shifting on the couch to face him, and wrapped her arms around him as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Or if you'd stayed in bed with me this morning, then you wouldn't feel so tired."

"Probably." He said smiling weakly at her, while he lift his arm over her head to hold around her.

"I think I'm going to handcuff you to the bed next time." Belle said thinking out loud, stroking her finger over the cut through his eyebrow.

Rumald's eyes went wide as he inclined his head away from her hand to see her face. "Why, Miss French, I didn't know you'd be up for that sort of thing."

"No, not like that." She giggled and lightly slapped her hand against his chest. "Twice now, I've woken up and you haven't been there."

"I'll make sure next time I'll stay in bed." Rumald smiled slipping his sunglasses back on. "Right, I better get down there. Coming?"

"I think I'm going to get my book and hang out up here." Belle said to him, releasing her hold on him when he stood up to stand in front of her, unbuttoning his shirt.

He stripped his cotton shirt from his arms and slung it over the back of the patio couch. "Sure?"

"Yep." Belle nodded her head and touched his face after he bent down to be face to face with her, searching her eyes from behind his sunglasses for the truth before he kissed her.

"Just as long as you're sure." Rumald stood up as he kicked his sneakers off and removed his things from his pockets to the table, and then sauntered around the patio furniture to take the steps down to the beach. With a smile on her face, she watched him gradually get out of sight and got up from the couch to go into the house to collect her book from her bag.

Outside she could hear Emma's excited screaming and Albert's laughter coming nearer to the house. Intrigued Belle speedily went back outside and leant onto the railing surrounding the decking to see the three of them below. Rumald was knee deep in the water beside another jet ski with Albert and Emma bobbing up and down on their jet ski close by. Pointing at a far point, Rumald climbed onto the jet ski and turned the key to roar the engine into life, while Albert nodded his head at his father.

Rumald let out a loud shout after Albert whipped his jet ski round, making Emma scream, and covered Rumald in a wave of water. Belle laughed watching their escapades below, as Rumald gave chase after Albert and managed to overtake him to whip his jet ski in front of them, covering them in a bigger spray of water. Shaking her head at them, she moved away from the railing to sit on the couch again, leaving Albert and Emma to race after Rumald around the bay.

As she sat down onto the couch, Belle picked up her drink from the table and drank from it, pulling a face at the taste again. Snuggling back into the cushions of the couch, she flicked open her book to the marked page and settled in to read her book. The peace and quiet, with the echoes of their laughter, put Belle in a tranquil place, allowing her to digest a good third of her book before they came up to interrupt her.

"Dad!" Albert cried at his father, walking sideways up the stairs like a lobster so he could talk to his father. "You're such a cheater!"

"I said to the buoy! Not to the mouth of the bay!" Rumald pointed randomly out towards the bay.

"Al, he did." Emma said coming to Rumald's defence.

Rumald grabbed Albert's ear and squeezed it, making Albert lift up onto his tiptoes. "Need to clean your ears out, son."

"You were on the quicker jet ski!" Albert claimed rubbing at his ear after his father had let go.

"What?" Rumald chuckled and put his arm around Emma's shoulders, gesturing to her beside him. "I had Emma on my jet ski. I had more weight than you and I still beat you."

"Well… That was very irresponsibly of you! To be honest, dad, I'm ashamed of your actions. She's never been a jet ski before, you could have frighten her." By the end of his tirade, Albert's enthusiasm for his point faltered as Rumald and Emma laughed at him, ambling around him to take a seat, Rumald next to Belle and Emma in an armchair.

"Enjoying your book, sweetheart?" Rumald asked putting his arm over the back of the couch behind her, inclining himself towards her.

Through the corner of her eye, she studied him beside her whilst he peered over her shoulder at her book, reading a paragraph or two. "I was 'til my peace and quiet was interrupted." She said with a smile and shook her book at him. "Most I've read for a week."

"Are you blaming me for your lack of reading?" Rumald said to her, his voice barely a whisper as he angled himself towards her. Rumald's phone on the table sprung into life, moving on the surface of the table when it vibrated. He groaned and snatched his phone up from the table, answering with a short 'Gold'. Albert stepped around his dad, still glaring at his father as he drank from the glass of coke, he had freshly poured for himself.

Rumald settled back into the couch, his bare shoulder brushing against Belle's shoulder. "Some people will never learn."

Belle marked her page in her book and drank the rest of her drink Rumald had made her earlier, listening to him beside her as she placed her empty glass and book on the table. "Okay. Fine. If he's so resistant about it, then screw five o'clock and go and take it."

"Who's he talking about?" Emma whispered to everyone.

"Don't know." Albert shrugged. "Probably the usual. Someone who doesn't want to pay."

"Shush." Belle hushed them holding her finger over her lips.

"Okay, forget it. I'll do it myself. Just wait for me outside his shop, I'll be there within the hour." Rumald ordered before he ended the call and removed his sunglasses to squeeze at the bridge of his nose. "Why can't people just do what they agreed to do? Why do they have to test your patience's?"

"Maybe there's a reason, they can't pay this month." Belle suggested, laying her hand on his thigh.

He let go of his nose and glared at her. "And what if I wasn't so business savvy and I lived from month to month on their rent? Would that still give them a reason not to uphold their agreement?"

"Hey," Belle frowned at him. "Don't have this argument with me! Remember, I've been on the other end of not being able to afford rent. I can think of plenty of reasons not to pay rent, as much as I know it's important."

"Sorry," Rumald softened and touched her face. "I'm going to go and deal with this problem, but after I'm done with him, do you guys want to go for dinner?" He asked looking round at all of them, letting his hand fall from Belle's face to rest on top of her knee.

"Food!" Albert sang rubbing at his stomach.

Emma smiled. "That would be nice, Mr Gold."

"Belle?" Rumald questioned gazing at her. "Dinner?"

"Course." She said squeezing his thigh. Rumald issued orders to Albert and Emma, sending them off to put the jet skis and deck furniture away. It did not take long to put the beach house back into the condition they had arrived to find it. Everything safely locked away and ready for their next visit.

They drove into town, the car filled with the excited chatter of Albert and Emma, telling Belle of what happened down in the bay. She sat sideways on the seat and rested her arm over the back of seat, resting her head on top of her forearm. Her attention was split between them and Rumald, who had barely said a word since they left the beach house. His jaw had set and his eyebrows narrowed over his eyes, his mind was on other things during their drive into town.

Pulling to a stop outside Grannies, Rumald put the car into park and turned the engine off. "Why don't you guys go inside and have a drink, and decide where you want to eat, while I deal with this… problem?"

"Okay." Belle suspiciously said, whilst Albert and Emma climbed out of Albert's side of the car to the sidewalk. Belle surveyed Rumald, as he got out of the car and began walking off down the street. A call from Albert and Belle shuffled her way towards the entrance of Grannies, her eyes fixated on Rumald, while he crossed the intersection.

Emma hooked her arm around Belle's arm, drawing Belle's gaze away from where he had gone, and walked together up into Grannies, where Albert waited on the porch holding the door open. The three of them entered and took an empty booth nearest the door. Shifting across the seat, Belle tried to see through the blinds but could not see anything apart from the outside seating area.

"Hey guys!" Ruby greeted, making Belle jump and look at her friend. "What'll it be?"

"Strawberry milkshakes?" Albert asked Emma and Belle.

Emma shook her head, sitting beside Albert. "No, I fancy chocolate."

"I don't want one." Belle turned her head back to the blinds, persistent in her watch for Rumald.

Albert smiled at Ruby. "One strawberry, one chocolate."

Ruby smiled and left their table, shoving her notepad and pen in her apron. Belle was more intrigued to find out what Rumald was doing to care about the conversation. They were chatting about the fun they had on the jet skis and how Emma did not realise how fast they could go. As they broke into a chorus of laughter, Belle sighed heavily propping her head up on the table with her elbow.

Behind her, she heard someone's phone ring before they answered it. "Sheriff Graham. Okay. I'm on my way."

Grannie called from behind the counter. "Do you want me to keep your meal warm, Sheriff?"

"I'm not going far." The sheriff told her, crossing the diner to pause at the door. "Just a disturbance at the flower shop."

Belle's head whipped from looking out the window to look at Sheriff Graham's back, watching him leave Grannies. Hearing the disturbance was at her father's shop, told Belle all she needed to know. She launched herself out of the seat and flew out of the door, oblivious to the gaping looks Albert and Emma gave her fleeting form. The sheriff had not even walked out of the fenced area of Grannies, as Belle ran pass him and sprinted down the street towards her father's shop.

As she bolted across the intersection, narrowly missing a car that was driving through, Belle cursed her father for causing Rumald trouble. Further, down the sidewalk, she could see a man standing outside her father's shop, his hand clasped in front of him, standing guard by the door. Her pace slowed when she got nearer and looked through the large window into her father's shop. Inside she could see them, Rumald was standing over her father and his body weight pushed her father's head down onto the glass counter. With a strong urge to stop them, Belle shoved the man out of the way and burst through the door, slamming the door behind her.

"Dove, I told you to wait outside!" Rumald strained to say, his back to her. She could not get her head around, how an hour ago Rumald had been the kindest man she knew. The man in front of her was the man she met almost four months ago, rude and abrupt.

"Rumald, let go of him!" Belle ordered marching into his line of sight. His face wore an alarmed look, as he glanced between her and her father under his hand. He relented and stepped back from the counter, straightening his white cotton shirt.

"Belle!" Her father cried to her, slumping onto the stool behind him at the counter. "You don't have to do this anymore!"

Belle closed her eyes and then opened them to give her father a pointed look. "What are you on about?"

"You don't have to pretend anymore!" Her father urged unsteadily getting up from his stool to shuffle over to her, taking hold of her hand from her side.

"Father, what the hell are you talking about?" She frowned at him as she questioned him, her eyes staring into his.

"You don't have to pretend you like this beast anymore!" Maurice proclaimed waving his hand in Rumald's direction, who stood with his hands by his sides staring down at the floor. "Gaston has found me a new shop. We can leave Storybrooke and you don't have to be with him. We can go and have a fresh start. You and Gaston as well."

Belle snatched her hand out of Maurice's hand, her gaze snapped between Rumald and her father. "What the hell is going on?"

"Belle, it's fine! You don't need to do it anymore!" Maurice urged and reached up to touch Belle's face. "I could never imagine what this beast has put you through. I'm so grateful to have a daughter like you, who would put her father before herself, just to buy us some time."

"Rumald," Belle called urgently to him, dashing to his side away from her father's touch. "It's not true!"

He did not respond to her. His eyes were firmly fixed to the floor. Belle grabbed fistfuls of his cotton shirt and stepped closer to him, feeling the heat of his body emanate through his shirt. His skin was taking on a red tinge and she noticed his hands had screwed themselves into fists. He was taking long drawn out breaths, which Belle hoped he was doing as a mechanism to keep himself calm.

"Rumald, don't listen to him! He's lying!" She whispered to him.

As she raised her hand to touch his face, as she had done on so many occasions, Rumald slapped her hand away hard and shot away from her. "I don't want to hear it! Whatever this little game is," He gestured around theatrically. "I don't want to be a part of it anymore!"

"Come on, let's go!" Belle proposed to him, reaching to take hold of one of his hands, while she moved to join him.

"No!" Rumald bellowed holding his hands up into the air to stop her advances.

"Belle, you don't need to pretend anymore!" Her father pressed from behind her.

Rumald glared between Belle and Maurice, his voice was cold as he spoke. "I don't want to see either of you! You have a day to get out of this property!"

Just as she was going to plead to him, Rumald yanked open the door to the shop and slammed it hard enough that the glass in the door, webbed itself with cracks from the force. Her legs ran for the door before she had even thought about it, tossed open the door to chase Rumald down the street, bumping into Sheriff Graham outside the door. She shoved him out of the way and sprinted after Rumald, who was staggering around before he lent against a shop front further up the street.

"Rumald!" She shrieked and grabbed hold of his arm to turn him to face her. "It's a lie!"

"You know, I should have known better. I knew someone like you could never want me… Love me." Rumald shook her hold away and stalked off away from her.

Belle scrunched her eyebrows at him and went after him again, but halted when he spun round to face her, saying. "I get it, you know? That's what's sad. I understand why you would do that for your father. I would have done anything for my father, if it meant he would only notice me and stop blaming me for my mother's death." He pointed his finger at her. "You! I thought you were special! I thought you were different like me!"

"Listen to me!" Belle yelled at him.

"NO!" He shouted over her. They stared each other down. Rumald's shoulders heaved up and down. His temper had gotten the better of him, which made Belle more adamant to stand her ground with him. The fire in his eyes lured her towards him, but she held herself back, knowing physical contact could push him in the wrong direction.

He breathed in deeply closing his eyes and let his breath back out as he opened his eyes to wave his hand dismissively at her, turning away from her. Belle swallowed nervously, itching to go after him but remained where she stood, letting him walk away from her. A tear escaped from her eye and ran down her cheek. Furious at herself and her father, Belle swiped the tear from her cheek and waltzed back to her father's shop, shoving the door open hard. As the door hit the end of its travel, the glass in the door shattered and pieces of it fell to the floor.

"Miss French." Sheriff Graham greeted, turning to face her and her father.

"Sheriff." She returned his greeting calmly and crossed to her father, who wore a smug look on his face from when she re-entered the shop.

"Belle, darl…" Belle swung her fist and hit her father in the face, causing him to fall backwards against the counter.

"Don't you ever talk to me again!" Belle yelled at him, as Sheriff Graham wrapped his arms around her to restrain her. "I have never been, as happy as I have been this last week! And you ruined it for me! How dare you!"


	35. Chapter 35

It started to grate Belle how everyone in Storybrooke were so cheerful, smiling hello and waving when they saw her. What was there to be so happy about? A man she would have hoped would never hurt her had ruined her chance with a man, who had taken the plunge and was letting her beyond his castle walls. As Albert had said, he was changing, forgetting his mask and was allowing people to see him for the first time in a long time. All of it ruined by some self-deluded man, who Belle had the unfortunate pleasure of calling her father. He had tried to explain to her that it was for her own good. However, Sheriff Graham had been unable to save Maurice from further blows from Belle, when her temper had flared hearing her father call Rumald a beast, a monster and the devil.

She had sat on the steps to Grannies the next day, breathing a sigh of relieve when she watched her father's truck drive away and headed out of Storybrooke. It would not be forever. Belle knew at some point they would have contact again, but hopefully not for a long time. As much as her father had advised her once to forgive but not forget, she knew she would do neither when it came to him. The only beast in her life was he, not Rumald.

Saturday evening and the whole of Sunday, Belle had received numerous phone calls and messages from Albert. He was trying to piece together what had happened, confused by the sudden reversal in his father's demeanour. She had not responded to his messages or calls until Monday morning, when she had told him by text to meet her at the pier. Which is where she stood waiting for him, checking the time on her phone to see he would have finished school about half an hour ago. Albert had not messaged her back, but she had come anyway, as it was nice to get out from under Ruby's watchful gaze.

Belle lent onto the railing of the pier, peering over the side at a fishing boat below, where the crew were washing down the deck and reorganising their equipment. Closing her eyes, she leaned back and rubbed her hand over her face, while she turned her back to them pressing the railing into her back. She felt so tired. The last four months had been a whirlwind of ups and downs, but this last down had thrown her. She was overwhelmed with the feeling of treading water, a struggle to keep herself a float with a heaviness in her heart.

"Belle!" Albert called a few feet away from her and brought her out of the thoughts with her hand dropping to her side.

"Hey." She mumbled, Belle's voice lack any kind of emotion. His arms wrapped themselves around her, holding her tightly against him. Belle squeezed her eyes shut trying to keep her tears from falling, as she slung her arms around him and held him. He was saying things to her, but she was lost in his warm hug, grateful she had not lost him as well.

Albert let his arms go loose, keeping his arms around her, so he could see her face. "I don't understand, Belle."

"I don't even think I understand it, Bae, and I was there." She told him, touching his cheek.

"Can we sit down?" He asked turning his head to look for a vacant bench and took hold of her hand touching his face. Albert did not wait for a response to his question and dragged Belle to the nearest bench, pulling her down onto the seat beside him.

"What's dad going on about?" Albert beseeched her, keeping hold of her hand. "He's told me you were only going out with him for your father's sake. Is that true?"

"No!" Belle said forcefully and laid her other hand on top of their joined hands.

"I didn't believe it, Belle." He confessed to her. At hearing, he had faith in her; Belle reached up to his face and stroked her thumb over his cheek, thankful he was on her side.

Albert lowered her hand away from his face and held onto both her hands between them. "I don't know how to help."

"Bae, there's nothing you can do." She smiled at him for wanting to help them. "Hopefully, he'll calm down and I can try and talk to him."

"Being calm is not his problem at the minute." Albert informed her, shifting the strap of his bag off his shoulder to drop the bag to the ground.

"What'd you mean?" Belle asked quirking an eyebrow at him.

"He's moping around the house." Albert began to explain. "I had to drag him out of bed yesterday and this morning. Even now, he's probably at home, locked in the garage and playing that creep song over and over again. Just like, he did yesterday. The neighbours were complaining all day about it, because he had it on so loud."

Belle frowned in thought at him, asking. "Radiohead?" He nodded his head at her and she shrugged her shoulders at him. "We all have our own ways of dealing with things."

"Yeah, normally, he deals with it by breaking things. Not feeling sorry for himself." He said and breathed heavily at his frustration.

"He'll be okay, Bae." She reassured him, slipping one of her hands out from under his to touch his shoulder, and relaxed against the back of the bench.

Albert crooked his head to see her. "You had me worried. Why didn't you answer my calls?"

"I'm sorry." Belle rubbed her hand up and down his arm. "I just… I needed to be alone. I can't get my head around why my father would do this."

"I understand." He mumbled shifting on the bench to sit back, his movement put Belle's arm around his shoulder's, while he held her other hand in his lap.

She affectionately combed her fingers through his hair. "I know you do, sweetie. You're the only person, who does."

"It was like a dream last week. I've never seen him so… happy and affectionate to someone else than me. He's never been mean to Emma, but he was being a lot more… warmer towards her." Albert said to her, smoothing his thumb over her thumbnail.

"He's still in there, Bae." Belle grasped at his shoulder and cuddled him against her side. "That part of your father, you saw last week, has always been in there. He just doesn't want to get hurt again."

Albert's head lowered. "But that's what your father did to him."

"Yeah… He did." Belle agreed with him, casting her eyes down to their joined hands.

"Dove came round yesterday evening with the keys to your father's flower shop." Albert informed her.

"I watched him leave in his van." Belle said watching Albert's thumb rub the back of her hand.

"You didn't want to go with him?" He asked tilting his head to see her.

Belle shook her head taking a breath. "I came here to help him, to be with my father." She tightened her hold on his hand, trying to convey in the simple touch, how much he meant to her. "The idea of leaving with him never crossed my mind, not when your father and you are here."

He let go of her hand to hug her awkwardly and kissed her cheek. Holding onto him, Belle cursed the part of her, that wished it were Rumald holding her. She smiled at him as they pulled away from one another and observed him as he stood up, collecting his bag from the floor.

"Come on." Albert urged holding his hand out to her. "Emma's waiting for us at the library."

She placed her hand inside his and allowed him to help her to her feet. "I don't know whether I'll be good company for you two at the minute. You two don't need me anymore anyway."

"Shut up and come to the library." He commanded her, hooking his arm around hers to lead her off the pier. As they ambled off the pier together, Belle leant her head onto his shoulder with her free hand holding onto his arm to steady her. It was a nice moment between them, but she would rather have Rumald beside her.

As much as they had not lived together or had spent every waking moment together, the last two days had been the loneliness. It felt as if he was gone forever, instead of on the other side of town, sulking in his garage. Every fibre of her being wanted to be with him, needed to be with him. She hungered to breathe in his familiar smell, which cured her inability to breathe properly. She wanted him to touch her. Needed his touch. Just a simple caress of her cheek with the backs of his fingers, would be enough to satisfy her itch for him.

Arm in arm, Belle and Albert walked up the street and crossed the intersection to the library, with Albert telling Belle about some new camo he had unlocked on his game. She mumbled noises she knew would make him think she was interested, as Belle's eyes wandered over to Rumald's lifeless shop. Even from that distance, she could see the closed sign displayed on door. Albert must have been right. His father was isolating himself away from the world, away from her. Belle rubbed at her eye as Albert pulled open the door to the library, holding it open for Belle to go inside first.

At about six o'clock, the three of them exited the library and stood around outside on the sidewalk. Albert and Emma hugged and kissed before Emma said goodbye to Belle and gave her a hug. While Emma walked away from them, Albert stepped closer to Belle, protectively watching Emma to make sure she got to the other side of the intersection. Belle loved how caring he was, a trait he had gotten from his father.

"You got any dinner plans?" Albert asked Belle, shrugging the strap of his bag more onto his shoulder.

"Bae, I haven't got any plans." She said sadly to him. "If I hadn't met with you, I would be in my room at Grannies."

Albert smiled warmly at her. "Come home with me then."

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea. Your father might not be ready to see me. He did say he didn't want to see me." She shared her concern with him.

"What do you want for dinner?" He asked ignoring her concern and put his arm around her to start her on the way to his house.

Belle shook her head and stopped walking. "Bae, I don't want to upset him."

"You won't be." He told her, persuading her with his arm around her to start walking again. "If he says anything, which I doubt 'cause he's too busy with self-loathing, you've come to collect your car."

"What?" She scrunched her eyebrows at him.

"Your car is still outside our house." Albert informed her. Allowing Albert to lead her against her better judgement, she went with him to their house.

By the time they had walked there, Belle's nerves were getting the better of her the nearer they got to the house. The closer they got to the house, the louder the music was becoming. Albert was grumbling under his breath about something, as they crossed the street together to walk up the driveway to the house. Belle's pace slowed whilst she walked pass his Cadillac, her eyes wandered from his car to the garage. She followed Albert up the steps to the porch, becoming confused when the music sounded as if it was coming from inside the house, instead of the garage.

Albert unlocked the front door and the music boomed at them. She trailed in behind Albert, closing the front door while he jogged off to the sound system in the living room. The house fell into complete silence when Albert turned the sound system off. Looking through into the kitchen, Belle could not see any signs of Rumald in there, so moved through into the kitchen. Albert appeared through the doorway from the dining room, his forehead wrinkled in concern.

"Where is he?" He asked, more to himself than to Belle.

"He - is here!" Rumald's voice boomed from behind Belle, causing her to jump round to face him, clutching at her chest. "What is she doing here?"

"I invit…" Albert began to say, but Belle waved her hand at him. "I'm here to get my car."

"Good!" He said coming down the last of the stairs to pad his way barefooted into the kitchen. Belle had never seen him, look so out of sorts. His hair was tousled in all directions. A light stubble beard graced his face. He was wearing a black t-shirt and his jeans. As he hobbled past her, she did not get the usual whiff of his aftershave, that she desperately needed a hit from. She spun on the spot, following his path through the kitchen to the fridge, opening the door to it to remove a beer.

"Go on then." Rumald stated turning to face her, snapping the cap off his beer. "Get going!"

"Dad, don't be like that with Belle." Albert said to his father, striding over to his father.

Belle breathed through her nose. "It's okay, Bae."

"No, it isn't!" Albert grabbed hold of his father's wrist, preventing Rumald was drinking from his beer. "I never thought my mother would be right about anything, especially when it came to you. You'd rather think the worse of Belle, then accept the truth. That she actually wants to be with you."

"You're too young to know what you're talking about." Rumald's voice was deep and glared at his son.

Albert moved closer to his father, not afraid of his father. "You know, as well as I do, her father was lying to you. She was with you, because she likes you. God knows why, when you're treating her like this!"

"Go upstairs." Rumald growled at his son.

"No!" Albert said forcefully, jolting his father's arm as he spoke. "I won't go upstairs! If you won't talk to her, you'll lose her. We'll lose her and I won't forgive you! And you'll have to live with this for the rest of your life!"

Rumald snatched his hand out of Albert's hold and shoved his son in the direction of the entrance hall. "Get up stairs!"

"NO!" Albert shouted back at his father.

Belle moved and grabbed hold of Albert's arm, stilling him. "Bae, please, don't fight with him! It's okay!"

He looked at her over his shoulder. The fury in his eyes mirrored the fire, she had seen in Rumald's eyes outside her father's shop. She laid her hand on his shoulder and tugged him backwards towards the entrance hall. Without saying another word, he shuffled out of the room and up the stairs, pausing in the doorway to glare at his father across the kitchen.

The only sound in the kitchen was the clink of Rumald's beer against the kitchen island countertop, abandoned so Rumald could brace himself on the island. He bent his head down between his arms and then stood up straight, his hands resting on the edge of the countertop. Belle felt uneasy with the look he was giving her, bravely she mooched over to the other side of the island. Just standing in his kitchen, led her mind to wander to sweet memories of them together, a need to fix it.

"Are you going to listen to me?" Belle asked quietly, watching her finger run along the edge of the countertop.

"Not really." He told her frankly and swigged from his beer, returning the bottle to the counter.

Belle closed her eyes to hide the hurt from him. "Apart from the day, you were having an argument with my father in the middle of the street, I haven't spoken to my father since the day I packed a bag and walked out." She opened her eyes to gaze at him, finding him scowling down at his bottle of beer. "Every moment, we have spent together, I have treasured and still hope they'll be more. I know you have your demons and my father has hit one," She said to him, slowly making her way round the island to him. "But I - was not - in cahoots with him or Gaston. I wasn't here for any other reason, apart from I want… need to be with you." His eyes were closed, when Belle hesitantly cupped his face, worried how he would react to her touch.

For a brief moment, Rumald leaned into her intimate touch, but then seemed to remember himself and jerked away from her. "Is that it? Have you said what you needed to say?"

"Yes." Belle whispered lowering her hand to her side and roamed away from him, wiping at the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. She did not pause at the door to look back at him, just opened the door and left, closing it gently behind her. Stumbling down the steps of the porch, Belle pulled her keys out of her pocket with tears streaming down her face, as she crossed the front lawn to her car by the kerb. She refused to look back at the house and jumped into her car to drive away as quickly as she could.


	36. Chapter 36

It was strange how much Belle's life had changed within a week. After her talk with Rumald at his house, her life had fallen back into the old routine of working at Grannies during the day, tutoring Albert and Emma in the afternoon and spending her evenings by herself or with the girls, if they were having a night out. She had not seen Rumald. He did not come into Grannies when she was working and she did not go out of her way to find him. If this is what he wanted, Belle could accept it, she did not like it but she could live with it for now.

Daydreaming had become her only way of taking the edge off not seeing him. She played out scenarios where he would burst into Grannies, confess his undying love for her and engulf her into his arm, kissing her with a passion she only read about in her books. The other scenario was he would enter her room, slip into her bed to take her, claiming her again to be his and his alone, and countlessly disturbed her night's sleep. Alternatively, she dreamt about him pulling her to one side, asking her to forgive him for being such an idiot and take him back, because he loved her more than she could ever imagine. The idea of him, doing any of these scenarios any time soon, did not fill her with much hope.

Ruby had tried cheering Belle up by taking her out Friday night to the Rabbit Hole, claiming a night of drinking and dancing would take her mind off any man. The only problem with Ruby's theory was she had never been with a man like Rumald. Everything he said had a meaning behind it. Every action thought out beforehand. A touch or a kiss was heart felt and was not given lightly. When he committed himself to someone, he meant it for life not a one night stand.

Either way, Belle had thrown herself into Ruby's theory, knocking back the shots and drinks her friend had presented her. They had caused quite a stir, when they had taken to the dancefloor, dancing together with a huddle of men around them, who had been desperate to get in on the action. Belle had no care for any of them, as she imagined she was dancing with Rumald, feeling the beat of the music through her body. As her hands had moved over her body, she imagined it was Rumald, dancing behind her as he moved his hands over her and his hips in time with hers. It had left her with a bitter taste in her mouth, when she had opened her eyes to find Ruby and the group of men surrounding her, no Rumald in sight.

Their evening had ended on a high, as the two of them drunkenly sauntered back to Grannies, but silently Belle wanted to go and see Rumald. She wanted to proclaim to him and anyone who would listen, drunk or not, she loved him. Her realisation had dawned when she had read Emma's essay for their Romeo and Juliet assignment. It did not matter that they had only known each other four months and a week of that spent as a couple. Belle loved him. Now, her only regret was she had not told him, when they had been together. A naïve thought, that if she had, maybe he would not have believed her father so easily.

Shivering eerily at the thought of her father, Belle wiped furiously at the diner's counter, cleaning off the crumbs and water marks. She was grateful it was getting late and nobody was in diner, leaving only her and the cooks in the kitchen. There was never much business on a Sunday night, most people were at home watching some debut premiere of a television show or busy with readying themselves for school or work the next day. It was a chance for them to clean and restock the diner ready for Monday morning. So when she heard the blind on the door to Grannies clatter, Belle looked over surprised to see someone entering.

Albert came skulking into the diner and hopped onto a stool at the counter, smiling at Belle as she sauntered over to stand on the other side from him. "Hey Bae!"

"Hey." Albert said with a meek wave.

"What's up?" Belle asked, knowing there was something on his mind.

He leant his elbows onto the counter in front of him. "Emma and me just had an argument."

"Really?" Belle propped herself against the counter, giving him her full attention. "What happened?"

"It's stupid." He shook his head down at the counter.

"Bae, come on, tell me." She persuaded him, coming around the counter to take the stool beside him.

Albert took a deep breath. "She wants to go to this party at Grace Hatter's house. I can't stand Grace."

"And the argument was about…?" Belle trailed off, leaving Albert to fill in the remainder.

"Grace is Emma's best friend." Albert explained. "Emma didn't like the fact that I don't like Grace and started going on about, how I was trying to tell her who to be friends with. I don't care who she's friends with, as long as she's happy. I just don't want to go to Grace's party."

Belle pursed her lips in thought before laying her hand on his shoulder, as she said. "Sometimes, in relationships, you have to do certain things whether you like it or not."

"Like go to this party?" Albert groaned at Belle, using his arm to support his head onto the counter.

"Yep." Belle lightly slapped his shoulder and smiled at him, and then her smile grew wider when Albert smiled back at her. "Hey, do you want a drink or something to eat?"

Albert paused in thought before he said. "Coke."

She hopped off the stool and went behind the counter to get him a glass of coke. As she held the glass under the tap for coke, Belle heard from the kitchen a call of goodnight and looked to the hatch to see both cooks wave at her. When the glass was full, she glanced to the clock above her, placing the drink in front of Albert, and saw it was five to ten at night.

"Dad saw you the other day." Albert blurted out, bringing Belle's attention to him.

"He did?" Belle questioned, trying to figure out when he had seen her.

Albert nodded his head as he drank from his glass and said. "He was having a meeting at the Rabbit Hole and saw you dancing."

"Right…?" Belle raised her eyebrows at Albert, unsure why he was bringing this up.

"We had managed three days without the creep song." He informed her, surrounding his glass with his hands. "Until he came home Friday night. Sheriff Graham was called to our house at three in the morning, to ask dad to turn it off."

"Bae, he doesn't want to talk to me." She told him coming around the counter to retake her stool.

"I know. I'm just telling you." He said and took a sip of his coke.

Belle rolled her eyes at him. "I can't force him to have anything to do with me, Bae. As much as I wish I could, he has to do this on his own."

"I think I might delete that song from his phone." Albert said thinking aloud. "At least then, the neighbours will get to hear another song."

"Don't upset him." She insisted touching his arm.

Albert frowned at her, saying. "Why are you sticking up for him? He's being an ass."

"Simple." Belle said before she thought it through. "I love him."

"Really?" He asked shocked.

Belle giggled at the shock of saying it aloud. "I love your father more than anything."

"You two were only together for a week." Albert's eyebrows pressed together at her statement.

"Who are you to say that a week spent between your father and I, is any less meaningful than two high school sweethearts spending their lifetime together?" Belle questioned him, getting into tutor mode.

"I can't." Albert's face relaxed as he thought about the question she posed to him. "Are you saying you two are Romeo and Juliet?"

Belle laughed. "I hope not! They both die at the end!" She slapped her hand playfully against his arm. "But no, you're making that comparison. Not me."

"I hope he realises soon. I can't take seeing him like this. One minute he's okay, and then the next, I can hear him crying in his room." Albert told her, turning his glass of coke between his hands.

Belle glanced at the clock above the counter and saw it was nearly half ten. "Come on, it's getting late. I'll take you home. Otherwise, your dad will be worrying about you."

Albert twirled round on his stool and got off it, as Belle slipped off her own, saying. "I doubt it. When I left, grandma was giving him an earful."

"Gladius was telling your father off?" Belle questioned, raising her eyebrows as she locked the front door to Grannies.

"Yep." He said with a wide smile. "I rung her and told her he was being an idiot."

Belle rolled her eyes at him, as she bent down to turn off the open light sign. "Bae!"

"He is though!" Albert exclaimed with a chuckle. Shaking her head, Belle wandered off deeper into Grannies and turned into the corridor, which connected the diner and the B&B, flicking off the light switches for the diner to plunge it into darkness. Albert followed behind her silently as she turned things off and locked certain doors. They traipsed upstairs to her room, where she changed out of her uniform in her bathroom, whilst he waited in the main area of her room, moseying through a box of her things she had taken from the flower shop.

Leaving Grannies, Belle drove them over to his house, laughing and joking with Albert about everything and anything. As she drove up their street, Belle could see Rumald bent over by a large car, chatting to whoever was in the back seat of the car. She pulled up along the kerb and put her car into park.

"Looks like grandma is just leaving." Albert said from the passenger seat. The sound of Belle's car must have drew Rumald to look over to them. Seeing the look he gave her, Belle shrunk down behind her steering wheel, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. Indifferent Albert clambered out of the car and walked over to where Rumald stood, stooping down to talk to Gladius in the back of the car.

After Rumald move his gaze to watch the interaction between Albert and Gladius, Belle unknowingly smiled at seeing Rumald in just his dress shirt and pants. She noticed he had his haircut shorter, his hair naturally spiked itself and his grey was not so prominent. The light stubble beard she had seen last Monday was gone, back to his clean-shaven look. She always found him handsome and attractive, but after not seeing him for so long, Belle wanted to run from her car and take him on the lawn. Sighing her thoughts away, Belle pulled the lever down into drive and pulled away from the kerb, and instructed herself to not look as she drove pass them.


	37. Chapter 37

In the sitting area of the B&B, Belle was dusting down the shelves of books and the various ornaments that were on display around the room. Her movements were slow and steady, feeling the effects of her sleepless nights due to the haunting dreams of him, fuelled by seeing him when she dropped Albert off. A hunger inside for him was building. She needed to run her fingers through his hair, feel the fresh spikiness of his hair under her palm. She needed to feel him kiss her, kissing her with the passion he had the day she teased him, when she had gone shopping with Ruby. She needed him to make love to her, gently caressing her like a porcelain doll, showing her a care no man had ever shown her.

Freezing with her hand on the shelf above her head, Belle closed her eyes taking a moment to get control over her thoughts. Just those short five minutes had been enough to drive her thoughts wild. So many times over the past three days, she had worked herself into a flurry where she was about to storm over to his shop. The only thing that stopped her, was remembering the coldness he had shown her at his house, unwilling to listen to the truth.

She opened her eyes and ran the yellow dusting cloth across the lip of the shelf, holding herself steady on the shelf below. Turning away from the dusted shelves, Belle eyed the room for anywhere she had not dusted, slowly crossing to her tub of cleaning products by the doorway. Belle tossed the cloth into the tub and collected the tub to leave the room. The weight she felt in her heart made her drag her feet, her pace non-existent as she scuffled through the B&B entranceway into the corridor, which led to the diner. She let a long sigh out opening the door to the cleaning closet and placed the tub inside, bumping the door close with her hip as she turned away from the closet.

The entrance door to the B&B creaked open. Hearing the door, Belle redirected herself to go back through the doorway into the entranceway and scowled when she came face to face with Gladius. The older woman leaned to look through into the sitting area, whilst Belle stood in the opposite doorway, studying Gladius for a clue as to why she was there. She had never seen Gladius in Grannies, or even much around town, so it was a wonder to see her there.

"Ah, Miss French!" Gladius smiled when she turned to find Belle. "Just who I wanted to see."

"Hi, Gladius." Belle greeted, smiling weakly at her.

"Come here, dear." Gladius said warmly, ushering Belle to come to her with both her hands. Her shoulders slouched, Belle took the few steps towards Gladius and was surprised, when the older woman held her by her upper arms and leant in to kiss her cheek. Gladius smiled at Belle, keeping hold of her by her arms.

"Is there somewhere we can chat?" Gladius asked waiting expectantly.

Belle blinked away her surprise and gestured to the sitting area behind Gladius. "There's no one in there."

"Okay." Gladius stepped out of Belle's way and let her lead the way into the sitting area. She glanced to Gladius over her shoulder, as she entered the room, and aimlessly went to the furthest armchairs. Hesitating, Belle was unsure whether to wait for Gladius to sit or sit down before her. Gladius must have sensed Belle's unease and waved her hand at her with a smile, taking the armchair across from Belle's to be divided by a table between them.

"How have you been, dear?" Gladius asked shifting in her chair to get more comfortable, straightening her dress.

Belle's eyes went wide at the question. "Somewhat coping. You?"

"Oh, dear, I'm an old battle-axe." Gladius said waving Belle's concern away. "When you've had to deal with the trouble of my daughter for thirty seven years, nothing phases you anymore."

"I can imagine." Belle chuckled at Gladius, feeling some of the heaviness in her heart lighten.

"Belle." Ruby called from the doorway, both women looked to her. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's okay." Belle said before asking. "Gladius, would you like some tea?"

Gladius thought about it, squeezing her lips together. "Actually, that would be nice."

"Ruby, can you bring Gladius some tea, please?" Belle asked and was thankful when her friend nodded her head, leaving them alone again.

She became curious of Gladius, as the older woman rummaged through her handbag and pulled out a photo. Gladius laid it carefully onto the table between them and pushed it with one finger across the table to put it in front of Belle. Inspecting the photo, Belle pinched the corner of it and lifted it from the table. She could tell by the quality, it had been taken some time ago. The definition was nothing like a nowadays picture. Even with its faults, it did not take anything away from the photo.

Belle smiled at the photo as she leant back into her armchair, stroking her finger over the man and the baby in the picture. She did not need Gladius to tell her who they were. The man may have had shoulder length hair, fewer lines of pain on his face and a light beard on his face, but Belle knew it was Rumald. He was sat on the back step of his house with a young girl sat beside him, eager to see the baby in his arms. The baby was Albert, probably only a few days old as he was lost in blankets wrapped around him.

"That's my favourite photo of them." Gladius informed Belle.

"He looked so happy." Belle stated with her eyes focus on the photo, as Ruby entered the room with a tray and placed it on the table in front of them. Serving the tea to Gladius, Ruby nosey at the photo and laughed abruptly putting the teapot down on the tray. Ruby took the photo from Belle and sat onto the arm of her chair.

"My god! I haven't seen this photo in years!" Ruby covered her mouth laughing.

As Ruby bent over to show the photo to Belle, pointing to the little girl in the photograph, Belle glared at Ruby, annoyed that she had taken the photograph from her. "That's me!"

"That's nice, dearie." Belle chided and snatched the picture out of Ruby's hand. "You better get back to the diner, Ruby."

Ruby jumped up from the arm of the chair, a little out of sorts from hearing Belle's strange tone, and left the two women alone again, glancing back as she went through the doorway. Belle knew she would have to apologise later, but she needed this small connection to him. For her to be deprived of him for just over a week, was taking its toll on Belle's sanity.

"Rumald has told me what your father said." Gladius said, stirring her tea.

Belle breathed in a heavy breathe and slowly let it out, laying the photograph onto the table. "It's all lies, Gladius."

"I know." Gladius let a small smile grace her lips before she sipped her tea. "I could see how much you care for him at the dinner. The way you watched him across the table, that is not something you can fake, dear."

"That dinner feels like a lifetime ago." She commented, as her hand found its way onto the table, unconsciously her finger stroked at Rumald's face in the picture.

"You will always get that feeling, dear." Gladius said dropping a sugar cube into her teacup and stirred her tea. "At my age, everything feels like a lifetime ago and sadly a lot of it is. Like Rumald and Milah's divorce, Walter's death, Albert being born, meeting Rumald for the first time, finding out Milah was pregnant. The list is endless!"

Belle swallowed and gazed up from the photo to Gladius. "What was he like back then? When you met him?"

Gladius placed her teacup down on its saucer and rested forward onto the table. "He… He was very uncertain of himself. Milah would only need to click her fingers and he would be asking her how high. And it was all because his father would treat him more like a servant than a son."

"What made him change so much then? He's not like that now." Belle asked, pressing her eyebrows down over her eyes, whilst she stared at Rumald's face in the photo.

"This is what started it." Gladius told her, pointing over the top of the tea set to the photo.

"Albert being born?" Belle posed the question for Gladius to clarify.

"Yes." Gladius nodded her head sitting back into her armchair, taking her teacup from the table to hold between her hands. "I have to admit, I have had a soft spot for Rumald since the day I met him. He's more my own than Milah is, sadly. And for months before Albert was born, I nudged Rumald, encouraged him, and tried to bring him out of himself."

Gladius paused and smiled at the memory. "The day Milah gave birth to Albert, something switched on inside of Rumald. Dim, but it was there. A strength to stand up for himself and his son." Gladius titled her head to one side in thought. "Which is probably why Milah lost interest in them. Rumald wasn't chasing after her anymore and Albert only ever wanted his father."

Belle was bewildered when Gladius started laughing and said. "I remember when Albert was about two months old and Rumald had to go back to Scotland for a week. Milah cursed him the whole time he was gone, because she had to call Rumald every time she wanted to put Albert down for a sleep, so he could talk to Albert through the phone."

"They do adore one another." Belle said smiling at Gladius memory. "Makes me jealous that I don't have that kind of relationship with my own father."

"Sadly, dear, you can't always pick your family." Gladius said knowingly.

"No, you can't." Belle agreed with a sad sigh.

As Gladius placed her teacup back into its saucer, she leant forward again onto the table. "The point of my story, dear, is for so long I have seen this dimly lit version of Rumald." The love Belle saw in Gladius eyes, when the old woman mentioned Rumald, entranced Belle to keep eye contact with her. "Seeing him with you, made me so happy to see the man, I knew was buried inside of him. Hidden behind his uncertainty and the disbelief his father and Milah instilled in him, that no one could ever love him."

Belle felt teary listening to Gladius and dropped her gaze to the photo on the table, as Gladius added. "Don't let him hide, Belle."

"How is he?" Belle asked changing the direction of the conversation and picked the photo up.

"He wasn't good when I saw him last week. But he's slightly better this week." Gladius answered sighing and then smiled saying. "After I reminded him, he's forty years old this year and should behave like an adult."

"I wish he'd listen to me." Belle confessed to Gladius, while she randomly wondered what it would have been like to know the Rumald in the photo.

Gladius finished off her tea. "I don't think you realise, dear, how much power you have over him."

"What makes you say that?" She asked gazing up from the photo to Gladius.

"Apart from the odd times," Gladius stood up from her armchair and collected her handbag. "Rumald has been calling Albert by Bae since Albert's birthday, causing much displeasure for Milah, which pleases me immensely."

Belle chuckled getting out of her armchair. "I really don't know how to take it, when you're finding pleasure in your daughter's unhappiness."

"I've always believed you should treat people, how you want to be treated. If she wants to go around thinking she's above everyone, then so be it, she will get what she deserves." Gladius said with conviction in her voice, making it clear she disapproved of Milah's actions.

Belle froze when Gladius seized Belle's hand between both of hers and said. "You need to be strong for the both of you, Belle. Don't give up on him! He needs your strength to get through this."

"I'll try." Belle whispered feeling tearful again.

"And if you need anything," Gladius said reaching up to Belle's face, soothing her thumb under Belle's eye when a tear dropped onto her cheek. "You only have to ask."

"Thank you." Belle smiled at Gladius's friendly gesture, making more tears drop onto her cheeks. Opening her handbag, Gladius removed a handkerchief from her bag and gave it to Belle. With a smile, Gladius turned and left Belle standing in the sitting area alone. Belle heard the door to the B&B creak when it opened and then heard the click of the door shutting. She wiped at her eyes with the handkerchief and picked up the photo of Rumald and Albert to slide into the pocket of her apron. Collecting Gladius's teacup to put onto the tray, Belle picked up the tray and took it to the kitchen in the diner.


	38. Chapter 38

The streetlamps reflected up and over her windshield as Belle drove through the town, heading to the Hatters house. She did not know what alarmed her more; the fact Emma had called her at nearly eleven o'clock at night or the sound of Emma's voice, as she urged Belle to come without telling anyone. There was not much care to her driving, as she powered around corners and skipped stop signs, when she was sure no one was around to see her. Her worry for them was greater than any care for her own wellbeing. She had not even bothered to get dress properly, choosing to pull on her old pair of sweatpants and slung her denim jacket on top of her nightie, while she shoved her bare feet into her sneakers. Belle had nearly tripped down the stairs of Grannies due to not tying the laces on her sneakers.

Belle turned into the driveway of the Hatters, her eyes fixed on the brightly lit house, kids littered the front lawn and shadows danced pass the windows. She parked the car and got out, scowling at the loud music and voices that polluted the night. Shoving her door shut, Belle wrapped her jacket around herself and made her way up to the house, looking from face to face to spot Emma or Albert in the crowd.

As she stepped onto the porch, some boys came piling out of the house, laughing and shoving one another. Belle jumped out of their way and held the door open with her arm, watching them disgracefully fall into a pile on the front lawn. Seeing their juvenile display, Belle was glad she had never gone to any parties in high school, especially if they had been anything like this. Her eyes were fix on the pile of boys as she ducked into the house and shook her head at them, closing the front door. When she turned away from the door, Belle did not know what was worst, the display outside or the idiots dancing on the dining room table.

The house was plagued with empty bottles and plastic cups. Belle could not take a step without kicking one or the other, sending it clattering across the wooden floor. Looking round at the state of the house as she entered the kitchen, she noticed the kids in this part of the house looked older than the majority outside. They may have even been seniors or older.

"Hello, pretty lady." A slurred voice said behind her. Belle twisted to see who was talking to her and found a kid leaning up against the fridge behind her, his eyes roaming down her body.

"Have you seen Albert Gold or Emma Nolan?" Belle asked him, ignoring the bottle of beer he was waving at her.

"Nope, but I've see you." He pointed his beer at her.

Rolling her eyes, Belle turned away from him and dodged her way through the kids that scattered around the room. She managed to get through the assault course of kids and out onto the patio, finding even more kids were loitering outside with a group of kids dancing on the other side of the swimming pool. Her head shook at the sight of all of them, disbelieving her future was in the hands of these degenerates.

A voice called to her. "Belle!"

Belle's head shot in the direction she heard Emma and dashed over to her, concerned by the look on Emma's face and the bloody rag she was holding against Albert's head. "What the hell happened?"

"One of the older boy's was chatting to me." Emma managed to say through her tears. "Al came over and asked if we could go, and the boy said I wasn't leaving. When I tried to go with Al, the other boy grabbed my wrist and stopped me."

As Emma was talking, Belle moved Emma's hand away from the bloody rag, so she could ease it off his head to have a look. "Al told him to let go or he'd make him. Then the boy let go of me, but when we went to walk away, the boy hit Al over the head with a bottle."

"I think it's going to need stitches." Belle said, wincing at the sight of his cut. "Bae, can you stand?"

"Yeah." Albert said quietly and unsteadily stood up from the chair. Pressing the bloody rag to his head, Belle hooked her arm around Albert with Emma taking hold of his other side. Together, they led him across the patio to go down the side of the house.

A shout from inside made Belle look through a window, cursing the idiots inside the house. They stumbled a couple of steps and came through an archway to the front of the house. There was more cheering and shouting as they walked down the driveway to Belle's car, where they helped Albert get into the back of the car.

Belle reversed out of the driveway and gave the house one more look before she drove off, heading back into town. She glanced into her rear view mirror to see Albert holding the bloody rag to his head, slumped into the corner of the back seat. Her temper quietly boiled within her, thinking if she ever got her hands on the kid that hurt Albert, she would give them a taste of their own medicine. With that thought in mind, Belle's hands tightened on the steering wheel, making her knuckles turn white.

She turned the car onto Emma's street and pulled up outside her house, saying. "Don't worry, Emma. Go and get some sleep. I'll let you know, how he's doing in the morning."

"Night, Al." Emma said in a sorrowful tone before turning to Belle. "Sorry, Belle."

"It's okay, Em." Belle said reaching over to squeeze Emma's hand. "It's what I'm here for."

Emma nodded her head and climbed out of the car, closing the door behind her. Belle waited and made sure Emma got into the house before she pulled away from the kerb, checking on Albert in her rear view mirror. He had not moved, still slumped into the corner with his head resting against the back of the seat. His stillness worried her until he cracked his eyes open to look out the window, quietly watching the houses go by. When she glanced in the mirror again to check on him, he was looking at her reflection in the mirror, crookedly smiling at her.

She was glad his house was not that far from Emma's, as she turned into his street and swung the car into the driveway behind Rumald's. Being face to face with his car made her apprehensive, but she ignored it as she got out of her car and helped Albert out of the back seat. This was not about them. It was about Albert.

They shuffled their way to the house and stumbled up the porch steps, leaving Belle out of breath as she lent him against the outside wall of the house. "Keys?"

Albert shoved his hand into his pocket and handed them over to Belle. She flicked quickly through the keys and found the key for the front door, and unlocked the door to shove it open. Belle tensed when the door banged against the wall, not wanting to wake Rumald, who must have been in bed as the house was in darkness. Slinging Albert's arm over her shoulders, she helped him into the house and quietly closed the front door. She tried to be quiet as she guided Albert into the kitchen, flicking on the light switch when they passed it, and sat him down at the breakfast table, but froze when Albert groaned at the jolt of dropping onto a chair. Listening, Belle waited for a second until she was sure they had not woken Rumald and then went to the counter to get some paper towels.

"Here," Belle said to Albert, holding the handful of paper towels towards him. "Pressed these to your head."

Albert took the paper towels and tossed the bloody rag onto the table, while Belle went to the kitchen sink and opened the cupboards to look underneath it. She spotted the first aid kit hidden behind some bottles of bleach and moved them aside to pull the kit out of the cupboard. Placing it down on the kitchen counter nearest the breakfast table, Belle opened it out and rummaged through it to find a stitch kit, which she laid onto the counter beside the first aid kit. She moved around the kitchen island and removed a bottle of whiskey from shelf underneath it, collecting more paper towels and her stitch kit as she went back to Albert.

After placing the items onto the table, Belle opened the bottle of whiskey and ripped open the stitch kit, saying to Albert. "First I'm going to clean it, Bae, and then I'm going to stitch it."

"'Kay." He mumbled, leaning down onto the table with his elbows. Belle went back into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl out of a cupboard. She ran the hot water for a minute until it was warm and then filled the bowl with it. Turning off the tap, Belle went to the seasoning rack next to the stove and grabbed the pot of salt to take back to Albert.

"I'm sorry, Belle." Albert said, as Belle sat down in the chair beside him, and sat back off the table.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about, sweetie." She told him with a smile, while she poured some salt into the water. Stirring it with her finger, Belle ripped some paper towels from the roll and dipped them into the salt solution she had made.

"Right, this might sting a little." Belle informed him, reaching up to remove the paper towels from his head. He dropped his hand to the table and let Belle remove it, angling his head to a better angle for her. Carefully she dabbed and wiped at the wound, finally able to see the inch gash that ran from his hairline down his forehead. She knew from the look of it, he was going to have a scar on his forehead. The thought of her Albert getting hurt made her blood boil again, but she concentrated on Albert as he hissed at his pain.

After cleaning it, it looked a lot better without all the blood over his forehead. She tossed the wet, bloody paper towels to the table as she stood up from her chair. Picking up the bottle of whiskey and some more paper towels, Belle moved to stand behind Albert, posed ready with her paper towels and bottle of whiskey.

"Bae, can you lean you head back as far as you can, please? I need to disinfect your wound." She explained, waiting for him to tilt his head back.

Albert leaned his head back and stopped, saying. "Oh… That makes me feel sick."

"That's okay. Just stay still." Belle said holding the paper towels under his head, ready to mop up the whiskey. "This will hurt, Bae."

"Just do it." Albert said with a heavy breath. Not giving him time to think about it, Belle poured the whiskey over his wound, grimacing at Albert's scream of pain. She also grimaced knowing it would wake Rumald as well. She put the bottle down and tried her best to wipe the whiskey out of his hair, bending over to kiss him gently on the top of his head.

Belle heard a door bang somewhere in the house, as she finished mopping the whiskey that had ran off the back of Albert's head. She dropped the wet paper towels to the pile on the table, while footsteps rumbled their way down the stairs. Sitting down in her hair chair again, Belle carefully angled Albert's head back down, positioning it so she could see his wound, whilst Rumald appeared in the opening to the entrance hall.

"What the hell!" Rumald shouted, panicked.

Albert groaned and held a hand to his head, as Belle took needle and thread from the stitch kit, saying. "Don't shout."

"What happened?" Rumald asked, surveying them and the items on the table, crossing from the opening to them.

"He got hit in the head with a bottle." Belle informed him and then said to Albert. "This is going to be uncomfortable."

"Wait! Stop!" Rumald commanded, grabbing hold of Belle's wrist that held the needle. "You can't stitch him. He needs to go to hospital."

Belle looked up at Rumald, trying to ignore how much she enjoyed him touching her. "He'll have to wait hours for them to stitch him. I can have this done in ten minutes." His grip on her wrist loosened. "If you want to be useful, go and make some tea."

"Okay." Rumald said distantly and let go of her wrist, but his touch lingered for a second or two longer than it needed. She bit her lip at the bereavement of losing his touch, when he took his hand away and went into the kitchen. Closing her eyes, Belle breathed in deeply and let it out as she opened her eyes and readied herself to stitch Albert's forehead.

As she carefully but firmly pushed the needle in and through Albert's skin, Albert clenched his eyes shut and his hands held onto her thighs, digging his fingers into her muscles. She ignored her own pain and got on with stitching him, while Rumald chinked and clanked things in the kitchen behind her. Her heart was beating so hard in the chest as she stitched Albert, thinking about Rumald's warm hand on her wrist, his tight grip holding her in place. The last time he had done that, they were having sex in his room upstairs, one hand pining her hands above her head as he clamped his other hand down on her mouth, muffling her cry.

Belle sighed the memory away and finished the last stitch in Albert's wound, so she could tie off the thread and cut the thread free from Albert's forehead. She put the needle and thread, and small scissors onto the table, as Rumald placed a steaming cup of tea next to her, plain with the tea bag in it, just how she liked it. Belle smiled her thanks to him, as he came around behind Albert to sit down next to him at the table.

"Right, I'm going to bandage your head, so you can hopefully get some sleep tonight." Belle told Albert, as she stood up to reach behind her for a bandage out of the first aid kit. "Take some aspirin or whatever you've got upstairs."

"I'll go and get you some." Rumald said getting up again to go back upstairs.

Belle opened the packet that held the bandage and moved to stand beside Albert, as he said. "Are you two going to talk now?"

"What?" Belle frowned at his question, as she started to wrap the bandage around his head.

"You two can talk now." Albert said quietly.

When she got to the end of the bandage, Belle picked the safety pin out of the packet the bandage had come in and pinned his bandage into place, saying. "I don't know, Bae. It's not really the…"

Albert grabbed one of her hands and pulled her down to face him. "Talk to him."

"Okay." She said rubbing her free hand over his shoulders, as Rumald came back down the stairs.

"Here, you go." Rumald said holding two pills in his hand out to Albert. Slowly Albert stood up, using his hold on Belle to help him, and let go of her to take the painkillers. They both watched as he moseyed off into the kitchen to get a glass of water, standing by the sink as he took the pills in one. Albert emptied his glass out into the sink and left it on the side, and came back over to Belle to hug her.

"Thank you, Belle." Albert mumbled and then left them alone, trudging his way up the stairs. While Rumald stood watching his son climb the stairs, Belle began tidying up the breakfast table, collecting the rubbish together to take over to the bin. She returned to the table as Rumald huffed down into a chair, placing his hands around his tea. Taking a seat as well, Belle screwed the lid back onto the whiskey and then she sipped her hot tea.

"What happened?" Rumald asked with his eyes cast down onto his tea.

"They were at a party." Belle answered, as she bobbed her teabag up and down in her cup.

Rumald's forehead scrunched down over his eyes, as he looked up at Belle. "They? He wasn't with you?"

"No," Belle said returning his frown. "I haven't seen him since I dropped him off here on Sunday night."

"He told me, you two were going to the movies and you'd gotten him a room at Grannies for the night." He told her, rubbing a hand over his forehead.

"Okay… Well, anyway, at least he's alright." Belle said trying not to delve into it too much and put Albert in more trouble.

Rumald dropped his hand onto the table. "Where was he then?"

"Rumald, he'll be okay. It doesn't matter where they were, just as long as they're okay." Belle tried to soothe his worry, but she knew if the tables were turned, she would already be out of the door, trying to find out what had happened to Albert.

"I have a right to know!" He growled, as his fingers clenched his cup. "I am his father!"

"I'm not saying you don't. Just leave it for tonight. Let him sleep and he will tell you in the morning." Belle advised him and drank her tea.

"Why didn't he ring me?" Rumald was becoming more agitated.

Belle clung desperately to her cup, fighting the urge to run round the table and hug him. "He didn't ring me."

"Then how did you know where he was then?" He asked, glaring at her across the table. Seeing him glare at her, made Belle go from wanting to comfort him to slapping the glare off his face.

"Emma called me." She told him, dabbing her teabag up and down in her cup.

Rumald shook his head forcefully. "She should have called me! I'm his father for heaven's sake!"

"Look, Rumald," Belle's tiredness and temper got the better of her. "If you want to blame someone, then blame me! I could have rung you and told you!" His eyebrows lifted from over his eyes and pushed up his forehead. "But how the hell am I supposed to be able to call you, when you're not even talking to me! You told me, you didn't even want to see me!"

"And when exactly have you done, what you've been told to do, hey?" He threw back at her, waving his hand showily through the air.

Belle closed her eyes and rubbed tiredly at her forehead, taking a moment to calm herself back down. She did not want to fight with him. She wanted to sit down and have a calm conversation with him, where they could sort out the mess between them. She did not want to be sat in his kitchen, in the middle of the night, arguing and saying things they would regret in the morning because they were tired. She just wanted him to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right. For the last two weeks, that was all she wanted.

"I'm too tired to argue." Belle said dropping her hand onto the table and opened her eyes to look at him.

He shifted in his chair. "Okay."

"Look," She said standing up from her chair and crossed to the opening to the entrance hall, saying. "I probably should have rung you, but I was more concerned with getting to them. And I won't apologise for it, because I would do it again in a heartbeat when it comes to Bae."

"I know." He whispered with his head hanging low.

"The same goes for you as well, ya know?" Belle wrapped her denim jacket tightly around herself, feeling a chill up her back. "No matter what my father told you, I care for you more than anything, Rumald. I…" She stuttered, which made him slightly twist his head to listen to her. "I love you."

Even from that angle, Belle could see him close his eyes at the words, but he remained silent. The longer the words were left in the air between them, the more Belle felt uncomfortable. A house she had always felt welcomed in, suddenly began to swamp her and put pressure on her chest. Her breath caught in her chest, as she waited for a response from him, any kind of response, whether it was noise or a return of the affection. It seemed lost on him, as he pressed his hands over his face with his shoulder's tensing.

She scratched at her forehead to distract her mind into working, which told her to get out of there. Her heart argued for her to stay and wait, but the voice in her head won as Belle spun round to the front door and swung it open to slam it behind her. The voice in her head began to belittle her, as she ran down the steps of the porch and jogged over to her car. It was telling her, how she was stupid to think he felt the same. She was stupid to think they were special. That they were one of a kind. She was stupid to think it was true love. She was stupid to even think he was her soul mate, the half that made her whole.

Forcefully shutting her car door, Belle made the car rock from the force as she covered her face as her tears poured out of her eyes. She did not know why she said it. It just came out. Probably tiredness had done it. However, it did not stop the hurt from the rejection she felt or even served to numb it.

Sniffling back some tears, she managed to get herself together enough to start her car. She avoided looking at the house and reversed out of his driveway, taking off down the road before she had a chance to peek at the house as she drove by. Furiously wiping at her cheeks, she used the sleeve of her denim jacket to wipe the wetness from her cheeks, driving the quiet streets back to Grannies. She knew though, as she drove down the main street through Storybrooke, she would always love him.


	39. Chapter 39

She had spent the majority of the weekend hauled up inside her room at Grannies, trying to distract herself with the stack of books she had piled beside her bed. None of them helped her mood. Whenever the main characters got to the point of confessing their love for one another, Belle would throw the book across the room to join the other rejected books near the doorway to her room. Even when she tried to sleep, her mind would tease her by replaying the memory, adding different things into the memory. She had refused to go back to sleep when one version had involved Rumald confessing he still loved Milah and they would be getting married again. The thought of him ever being with her, twisted and squeezed her insides.

Monday morning had took its time to come around. However, she had been pleasantly surprised when Mary-Margaret had rung her that morning, asking her to meet her at the principal's office at Storybrooke high. Which was where she was, waiting nervously outside the principal's office, feeling very self-conscious as the secretary kept giving her funny looks and students stared at her as they walked by. She still did not know why she was there. Sitting there reminded her of Rumald, when she had told him how she had never been called to the principal's office in her life. She smiled at the memory, glad she had happier memories to distract her from what had happened Friday night.

Leaning forward on the plastic seat, Belle clasped her hands both side of her legs and gripped the plastic edge hard to hurt her fingers, hoping it would take her mind off her nerves. She knew it was ridiculous. She was a grown woman, or at least physically, so feeling nervous about being at the principal's office was ridiculous. She had not even been this nervous when she had met Rumald at his shop to have their 'chat'. Belle pondered whether she should have listened to Ruby and had a couple of drinks before turning up for this little meeting. Then shook the thought away, knowing how stupid it would be to turn up to the school partly drunk.

Her phone buzzed in the top pocket of her denim jacket. The secretary gave Belle a pointed look, watching as Belle slid the phone out of her pocket to read the message. A small part of her hoped it was from Rumald, as she did every time she got a message. She sighed seeing the message was from Albert. He was asking why her car was in the parking lot of the school. Unlocking her phone, Belle replied to his message and told him she was at the principal's office, waiting for a meeting. She locked her phone and returned it to her jacket pocket, smiling at the secretary who was still staring at her.

The door to the principal's office opened and Belle shot to her feet, tugging nervously at her skirt. Mary-Margaret was smiling at someone in the room, as she held the door open. Belle swept some hair behind her ear, undecided between whether she should sit back down or say something to Mary-Margaret. Deciding she should sit back down, Mary-Margaret called her into the office, sweeping her arm in a gesture for her to come inside. Belle swallowed nervously and went into the office, clasping her hands in front of herself.

As Belle stepped into the office, she saw a woman with curly ginger hair sitting at the big desk, typing into the laptop on the desk. Loitering behind the chairs that sat in front of the big desk, Belle glanced over her shoulder at Mary-Margaret, as the other woman closed the door to the office. Her friend smiled at her and placed her hand on her shoulder, giving her shoulder a supportive squeeze.

"So, this is the famous, Miss Belle French." Belle's head whipped round to the woman behind the desk, who was now standing and offering her hand to Belle over the desk. "I've been hearing some things about you from various sources."

"Hopefully all good." Belle replied, shaking the other woman's hand.

"Of course!" The other woman said, gesturing towards the empty seats. "Please, sit."

Belle looked to Mary-Margaret, who was taking one of the seats, and sat down into the other chair as the other woman continued. "I'm Zelena Mills, Principal of Storybrooke High."

"Is your sister the Mayor?" Belle asked, scrunching her eyebrows together.

"Yes, Regina." Zelena said with a nod. "Anyway, the reason Mary-Margaret asked you to come down here today, is because we'd like to offer you a job."

"A job?" Belle questioned with her eyes going wide and her eyebrows pushed her forehead up.

Mary-Margaret reached across the gap between them and touched Belle's hand. "I've been telling Zelena about how you've been tutoring Emma and Al."

"Okay…" Belle said unsurely, waiting for the punchline.

"We haven't had enough funding to take on another teaching assistant and the council meeting last month was pointless. We couldn't get the funding." Zelena rolled her eyes. "You'd think having your sister as the mayor, would have some swing in this town."

"You would, wouldn't you?" Belle commented dryly, looking at Mary-Margaret through the corner of her eye. Catching the look Belle was giving her, Mary-Margaret shrugged her shoulders and smiled. Neither action helped Belle's nerves.

"But!" Zelena snapped her hand up into the air, pointing randomly to the ceiling, and made Belle visibly jump in her seat. "We had an anonymous donation this morning, who stated it had to be used for acquiring a new teaching assistant."

Belle drew her eyebrows down over her eyes. "Let me get this straight… There was a town council meeting two weeks ago, where they voted against the funding. Then, this morning, you receive an anonymous donation that states it has to be used for a new teaching assistant."

"Exactly!" Zelena said slamming her hand down on the table, scaring Belle further back into her seat.

"Something doesn't feel right about this." Belle voiced her concern, looking between Zelena and Mary-Margaret.

"Does it matter?" Mary-Margaret asked, still holding Belle's hand.

Belle shook her head. "Not really… just seems a little weird."

"Maybe you've got a guardian angel out there?" Zelena said and then crackled a laugh that reminded Belle of the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz. "What we're proposing, as our head librarian is leaving, is that you head the school library and tutor students we feel need that extra bit of attention."

"So, there's two roles to this job?" Belle asked, feeling more comfortable with the conversation.

"It was my suggestion," Mary-Margaret interjected. "Josephine is retiring on Friday, when the school year ends. We'll be killing two birds with one stone. It would mean, you would head the library here at the school and the one in town, as they're partnered. Running the libraries, also serves in making sure you have something to do when not tutoring."

Belle chuckled. "You want to make sure you get your money's worth out of me?"

"Miss French, it was only suggested by Mary-Margaret, so when we go back to the council to ask for the additional funding, they can't argue about it." Zelena informed Belle, her eccentric behaviour more under control.

"Oh no, I can appreciated that, it just tickled me that's all." Belle explained sitting up in her chair, forgetting all about her nerves.

"What do you say, Belle?" Mary-Margaret asked, turning in her chair to face Belle.

Belle looked to her friend beside her, as she thought about it. There were so many pros to taking the job than cons. The third reason on the list to do the job was she would be doing what she wanted to do, teaching kids. Her second reason would be she would have an endless supply of books. Then, the most important reason to Belle, she would love doing it.

"Okay, I'll do it." Belle said with a wide smile. As the other two women congratulated her and shook her hand. Belle could not help but think it was the first heartfelt smile she had smiled since being at Rumald's beach house, when they had been talking about the amount she had managed to read since they had gotten together. The thought made her sober very quickly and almost cried, thinking how happy they had been.

Zelena opened a folder and laid it out onto the desk in front of Belle, and offered a pen towards her. "All we need is a signature on this page and on the other copy as well."

Belle slowly took the offered pen and signed the pieces of paper, laying the pen on top of the papers. "When do I start?"

"Next Monday." Zelena said picking up the pen to lay another folder with more paperwork on top of the other folder. "The town library has an apartment for the town librarian. This is just a tenant agreement to say if you break anything or whatever, you're responsible." Belle took the pen from Zelena and was ready to sign, when Zelena added. "The rent and utilities have been wavered, as stated by the anonymous donator."

"What?" Belle asked, frowning at Zelena.

Zelena shrugged her shoulders. "Supposedly they're going to take care of paying Mr Gold for the apartment."

"Mr Gold?" Belle questioned, feeling her forehead tightened down over her eyes.

"He owns the apartment above the library." Mary-Margaret sheepishly informed Belle.

"Does he now?" Belle asked them, but she was not looking for an answer.

The pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. She knew the identity of anonymous donator must be Rumald. There were not many people in Storybrooke, who could afford to donate a large sum of money to the school. Also, the fact the apartment had been thrown in for free, more than told her he had something to do with it. There was no way anyone else would volunteer to pay her rent for her, unless they knew her somehow… Unless, it was Gladius… She started to toy between whether it was actually Rumald or Gladius. The woman did seem to be well off and from their last encounter, Belle would say the woman liked her. Even extended an unconditional offer of help to her.

As she fought between whom it could be, Belle grumbled to herself, feeling the job had been handed to her a platter instead of being earnt honestly. The little voice in her head supplied her with the fact that Mary-Margaret had already suggested her for position. If they had gotten the funding from the council, they would have been offering her the job no matter what. So… Maybe she had earned the job off her own merit. God knew how she had spent so many hours with Emma and Albert after school, going through things for their assignments, and loved every hour she spent with them.

Thinking of Albert and Emma, Belle signed both tenant agreements and shoved the paperwork and the pen towards Zelena. The three women smiled and stood in unison. Belle shook Zelena's hand and hugged Mary-Margaret, as the two women congratulated Belle.

Zelena bent over and opened her desk draw, retrieving a key from inside her desk. "Here's the key to the apartment above the library in town. Josephine has her own house, so you can move in whenever you like."

"Okay," Belle said taking the key and put it into her jacket pocket with her car keys. "Thank you."

"I'll get Dawn to send you copies of the paperwork and any other relevant paperwork you'll need to the apartment." Zelena said to Belle, coming around the desk to guide her towards the door.

"Okay." Belle said with a nod of her head.

Zelena opened the door. "Welcome to the team, Miss French."

"Thank you." Belle smiled and left the office with Mary-Margaret behind her. The door closed behind them, as Belle turned to her friend with a broad smile on her face. Mary-Margaret mirrored the expression and hugged Belle, whispering congratulations to her.

"Belle!" Albert called. Belle pulled away from Mary-Margaret to look over her shoulder and saw Albert loitering outside in the corridor. Mary-Margaret excused herself and walked off, greeting Albert before she went off down the corridor, mingling with the children in the corridor. Belle could not remove the smile from her face, as she sauntered up to Albert in the corridor, exiting the reception area of Zelena's office.

Albert smiled but frowned at her at the same time, as he hugged her and stood back to take her in. "I don't think anyone has ever come out of Miss Mills office smiling before. Normally, they're miserable."

"They've probably not been offered a job, when they've been in there." Belle said to him, her smile got wider.

"Really!" Albert said excitedly and hugged her tighter this time. Belle closed her eyes, bathing in Albert's excitement for her, listening to him babble about meaningless things in her ear. She was glad to see he was feeling better, back to his normal self then the quieter Albert she had seen Friday night.

"What are you going to be doing then?" Albert asked into her shoulder.

Belle let go of him and leant back from his embrace, inspecting the square wad of dressing covering the wound on his forehead. "I'm going to be the librarian and a tutor."

"Hang on," Albert said letting his arms fall from around her. "I have to share you with more people?"

"I'm afraid so…" Belle trailed off, smirking at him.

"I don't know about this!" Albert frowned and wagged his finger at her. "I mean," He paused. "How can you ever replace me? I'm your number one student!"

Belle laughed and linked her arm with his, wandering with him to the entrance. "You're always going to be my number one!"

"Well, that's okay then!" Albert said, patting her hand that clung to his arm. She shook her head at him as she shoulder barged into him and made him stumble a step, using their linked arms to pull him back against her. They smiled and laughed at each other, having her second genuine smile of the day.

Albert pushed open the door to let them exit the building and they walked the short distance to the parking lot, where her car was parked. She pulled a face when Albert's face lost its smile, wondering what was wrong with him. Halting him to stop with a tug on his arm, Belle raised her hand to his face and touched his cheek.

"What's the matter?" She asked him, stroking her thumb against his cheek.

Albert shook his head at her. "I'm sorry… Sorry for Friday night."

Belle sighed at him. "Bae, it's okay. You can always call me. You know that!"

"No, I'm sorry your chat with dad didn't go well." Albert apologised to her.

"It's not your fault, sweetie. It is what it is at the minute." She told him, distractedly running her fingers over the dressing covering his cut. "Did he say something then?"

"No, he didn't need to." Albert told her, shrugging one of his shoulders at her. "I had to eat my breakfast in the dining room."

"What?" Belle questioned him, dropping her hand from his forehead.

Albert grimaced a smile at her. "I heard the front door slam and guessed that you'd left the house. I climbed out of bed to look through my window, when I heard this loud bang downstairs. I didn't dare go downstairs, when I could hear him yelling and smashing something." He took a breath before continuing. "I shouldn't have been surprised to find the breakfast table and the chairs broken up and in pieces on the patio in the morning."

She could not say anything for a second, as she was shocked to hear what Rumald had done after she left. "I'm sorry, Bae."

"Hey," Albert took hold of both her hands. "I'm just glad it wasn't that stupid creep song again!"

"Oh my god! You're insufferable!" Belle told him with a smile and chuckled as she shook her head, slowly starting back towards her car again.

"You try listening to it constantly and then tell me, you wouldn't be glad if dad started destroying furniture instead." Albert joked to her, putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked to her car.

"I would rather he didn't destroy furniture!" Belle admitted to him.

Albert held a hand to his forehead. "Oooh… My head."

Belle chuckled as she said. "See, that's what you get for using your brain for once."

"Oh, ha ha!" He grumbled at her, letting his arm fall from around her.

"Hey," She said turning to face him, as they neared her car. "How about you and Emma meet me at Grannies after school? We can have a celebratory milkshake or something?"

"Sure! Dad wants me to pop into the shop after school, but I can come by after that. I'll get Emma to meet you there." Albert said smiling at her.

Leaning into him, Belle kissed his cheek and walked the last few steps to her car. With her hand on the door handle of her car door, she gave him one more smile before she opened her door and clambered into her car. He waved his hand at her, as he walked backwards away from her and pivoted round to walk back to the school. She thanked god she had him in her life to make her smile, she needed him so much it hurt.


	40. Chapter 40

Shoving the last of her clothes into the bag on her bed, Belle swept a scrutinising eye around her room, checking she had not missed anything. She pulled the zip across her bag and wandered around the bed to go into the bathroom, ensuring she had grabbed everything in there as well. Seeing nothing in there that was hers, Belle came back into the bedroom and halted just outside of the bathroom, looking around the room again, double checking herself. As her eyes came onto the bedsides, Belle spied the space under the bed and thought she had better check in case anything had slipped under there. She knelt down and lent over to look under it, seeing nothing but dust bunnies and… a curious gold thing near the head of the bed. Belle frowned at it, as she laid down onto the floor and slid enough of herself underneath the bed to grab it.

She scurried out from under bed and sat down onto the floor, opening her hand to see the gold item in the palm of her hand. It was a gold cufflink. Belle used her finger to turn it in her palm, so she could see what decorated the cufflink. An italic R was etched into the precious metal. Her fingers clenched the gold cufflink, pressing it firmly into her palm.

Belle pushed herself off the floor and pocketed the cufflink into a top pocket of her denim jacket, scanning the room once more. Reaching over the bed, Belle grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she headed out of the room, closing the door behind her. She paused outside the door, holding the door a jar, as she thought of all the memories she would have of this room. Belle pulled the door to and the lock clicked into place before she ambled her way down the corridor, taking her keys out of her jacket pocket. As she descended the stairs, she began to remove the room key from her car keys, finishing the task when she reached the bottom step.

Grannie was talking to someone on the phone, writing the details into the diary, as Belle placed the key down on the reception desk. Seeing the key put in front of her, Grannie looked up from the diary to Belle and smiled at the younger woman. Belle returned the smile and went to leave when Grannie caught her hand, which had hovered over the reception desk. The action jolted Belle back to the desk, while Grannie finished her phone call and put the phone down.

"Belle," Grannie said releasing her hold on Belle's hand and stooped down to get something. "I owe you some money."

"Oh, okay." Belle waited and shifted the strap for her bag on her shoulder.

Grannie straightened up and held a thick envelope out towards Belle. "Here you go."

"That looks too thick for two weeks wages, plus I owe you for the room." Belle said, as she took the envelope from her.

"You can't owe me for the room, dear." Grannie said smiling. "Your room was free."

Belle shook her head and waved the envelope through the air, saying. "No, nothing in life is free."

"Okay, yes, it wasn't free." Grannie confessed, perching her hands onto the edge of the desk.

"So I owe you for the room." Belle said opening the envelope to count the money out.

Grannie stopped Belle by placing her hand on top of Belle's hands, ceasing her counting. "He's already taken care of it."

"What?" Belle frowned, even though she already suspected he was involved. The thickness of the envelope, had already reminded her of the day she and Ruby had gone shopping, and Ruby given Belle more wages from Grannie. Belle had seen him that morning, standing in the very spot she stood, talking to Grannie and smiling. He had been smiling the smile that just touched the corner of his eyes and made his crow's feet appear, a genuine smile that melted her heart when she saw it.

"He came in a few weeks ago and told me to take what you owe me, out of his share of the profits." Grannie informed her, removing her hand from on top of Belle's. "Any money you've spent in the diner has been reimbursed to you through your wages. He told me not to allow you to pay for anything, while you stayed here. We have a similar arrangement for Albert."

Looking down at the envelope in her hands, Belle bit down onto her lower lip, unsure how she should feel about him doing that for her. He knew she liked to do things herself and pay for her own way in life. She had learnt the hard way not to rely on anyone else but herself, after dealing with the consequences of her father's actions over the years. She never wanted to be in a position, where she had no choice but to follow. She was independent. She did not need him or anyone to take care of her.

Belle thrusted the envelope towards Grannie. "Give him this. I don't want it."

"Belle, you're going to need it." Grannie said with a faint smile. "And he'll only give it back to me and tell me the same thing, to give it back to you."

"I won't need it. I don't need it." Belle told her, waving the envelope at Grannie.

"You're going to need it for food and gas. Remember there's two more weeks 'til the end of the month. You'll have nothing to live on until you get paid." Grannie informed her, talking sense into Belle.

With a low groan, Belle folded the envelope and shoved it into her jacket pocket. Grannie gave her a sympathetic smile, much like the one she had given her when Belle had come begging for a room, after walking out of her father's with the very bag on her shoulder. Belle never wanted to be a charity case, did not see herself as one, but the more she found out about what had been going on behind her back, the more she felt like one.

"Come on." Grannie called, waving her hand for Belle to come with her. Shoving her hands into her denim jacket pockets, Belle fell into step with Grannie and went with her through into the corridor that led to the diner, while her hand clenched the envelope in her pocket.

The idea he was doing things for her, should have made her feel special, feel bless that someone wanted to look after her. That job should have been her father's, but he had failed miserable at it. All he ever did for her was cause her misery, whether it was his debts, his gambling, constantly moving around or his recent offence, splitting her and Rumald. She may deal with her torment a lot better than Rumald, but she knew she had just as many scars on her soul as he did. One scar being the naïve child, who had thought her father would keep her safe and look after her, except she had learnt very quickly her father only had concern for himself and his money.

Emma calling Belle's name brought her out of her thoughts, as Grannie guided her into the diner with her arm around Belle's back. She had not even notice the older woman had put her arm around her, too involved in her thoughts. Belle smiled at Grannie and thanked her for her help, before crossing the diner to where Emma sat in a booth waiting for her.

"Hey Emma!" Belle said dropping her bag onto the floor and slid into the seat opposite Emma.

"Al told me your good news! Congrats!" Emma beamed, smiling at Belle.

Belle smiled. "It's going to be so weird, but at least I'll get to see you guys at school."

"What's with the bag?" Emma asked, nodding her head towards the bag on the floor.

"Oh, the job comes with an apartment. So I'm moving in." Belle said looking down at her bag. "We'll go over there in a minute, when Bae turns up. Ruby's already over there. She's cleaning it for me, while I packed the last of my things."

"Mr Gold has been so strict since Friday." Emma suddenly changed the conversation and fidgeted with her thumbnail.

Belle raised her eyebrow at Emma's statement. "I'm not surprised. From what I gathered, Bae lied to Rumald about where he was going to be."

"Only because he would have said no to him going." Emma defended, looking up from her fingers to Belle.

"Emma, Bae could have been seriously hurt on Friday. It's bad enough he's going to have a scar on his forehead, for the rest of his life." Belle told Emma, trying to control her temper. She knew and understood why Rumald was being strict, if Albert was her own child, she would be doing the same thing. The idea of him being hurt scared the hell out of her. She had realised the next day, how worse it could have been and the idea of it had annoyed Belle more than Rumald not responding to her.

"I told him I was sorry." Emma said in a quiet voice, her eyes back onto her fingers. "I know Al didn't want to go to the party. It's all my fault."

Belle sighed her temper away, seeing Emma's remorse on her face. "It doesn't matter whose fault it is, Emma. If anything were to happen to you or Bae, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Which would be the same for your parents and Rumald. If you want to be treated like adults, then you have to tell the truth and not lie about where you are."

"Okay." Emma's voice was barely a whisper when she spoke. Seeing a little girl rather than the young woman Belle had come to know. Belle reached over and took hold of Emma's hand, squeezing her fingers.

The door to Grannies opened and Albert came through the door, scanning the diner before he spotted them near the door. With ease, he crossed over to them and sat into the seat beside Emma, frowning as he sat down next to her, when he saw the look on her face.

"What's up, Em?" Albert asked, putting his arm around her.

"Nothing, it's okay." Emma said flicking her hair back out of her face and smiled at him.

Belle gave Emma's hand another squeezed and pulled her hand back over the table. "Let's get some milkshakes to go and head over to see my new apartment!"

"Okay," Albert laughed at Belle's excitement, standing up from the seat to offer his hand to Emma. "Where is it?"

"Above the library." Belle said climbing out of the booth and collected her bag from the floor.

"Oh, that's one of dad's." Albert stated as Belle was about to sling her bag over her shoulder, but Albert grabbed the strap and took it from her. "I'll carry that for you."

"Thank you." Belle smiled her thanks at him before heading over to the counter, turning her head to see them follow her. "Flavour?"

"Chocolate." Emma said quickly, clasping hands with Albert.

"Strawberry, please." Albert requested, touching his fingers to his square wad of dressing on his forehead. Belle turned and leaned onto the counter, and ordered their milkshakes.

After receiving their order, they had gone over to the library and used the elevator inside to go up to Belle's apartment floor. Albert had shared how he had been scared of the elevator in the library when he was child, hating when his father had brought him there to collect the rent from the librarian at the time. It was not the best of elevators, but it had its quirks and bangs as it travelled up to Belle's floor. As the elevator neared Belle's floor, they could hear music playing distantly.

The door to Belle's apartment had been wedged open with a box, allowing them to walk straight into the apartment to find Ruby dancing in the middle of the open plan living area. The few boxes Belle had removed from her bedroom above her father's shop, sat waiting to be emptied just inside the doorway. Belle placed the milkshakes in her hands on to a nearby box, shaking her head with a smile at Ruby, who was bouncing up and down to the dance music she had playing from sound system.

"You're supposed to be cleaning!" Belle shouted above the music, startling Ruby into stopping her dancing. "Not dancing in my apartment!"

Ruby pressed a button on the remote in her hand and the music ceased. "Sorry, I just finished setting it up, so I was testing it."

"Yes, of course you were." Belle said knowingly to her friend, grinning across the room at her.

"I don't know where you want your books." Ruby said waving her hand towards one of the boxes. "There's nowhere to put them."

Belle felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Albert standing beside her. "There's a store room in the basement with furniture in it. We might be able to find something down there."

"That would be great! See if you can find a bookcase down there." Belle said touching his hand on her shoulder.

"Okay, I'll go and have a look." Albert told her and turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway. "I might need some help though."

"Come on, Emma." Ruby said striding to Albert in the doorway. "Let's go show this young man, what we women can do."

Belle braced a smile for Ruby, as Ruby passed Belle giving her the remote for the sound system, and turned to watch them leave. Their voices echoed down the hallway, while Belle pivoted round to take in her apartment, liking the fact she had her own space, even though she had Rumald to thank for it. Belle could not think of a time she had actually lived on her own. When she had left home to go to college, she had moved into the dorms and had shared a room with someone. After that, she had moved into an apartment with Gaston and then left there to go back into shared dorms. She had left those dorms to move back in with her father. This would be the first instance she actually had her own space and was allowed to do whatever she wanted.

Thinking how it was hers, Belle pressed the play button on the remote for the sound system and basked in the idea it was all hers. The song Ruby had been listening to ended. The next song came on, as Belle placed the remote next to their milkshakes and opened one of the boxes Ruby had not sorted yet. Finding it had ornaments and childhood trinkets, Belle reached inside it as her hip started moving in time with the beat of the song.

"Reload, this is free love." Belle sang along with the song, taking a statue of a lion to one of the windows to place on the windowsill. As she travelled back to the box, Belle danced in time to the music and reached into the box to remove the music box her mother had given her. She jived her way to her bedroom and put the music box on top of the chest of draws. As she came out of her bedroom, the beat of the music took over her and she closed her eyes, swaying her hips in time to the music with her hands above her head, just as she had in the Rabbit Hole with Ruby.

"Take my hand and reload!" Belle sang to herself, exaggerating her movements. She twirled round on the spot as the song ended, fading away to silence.

"I do love the way your hips move." Rumald stated.

Scared half to death, Belle let out a whimpered cried and opened her eyes to find him smirking at her with his hands leisurely clasped in front of him, with his shoulder bracing his weight against the doorframe of her apartment door. Pointlessly, Belle's arms dropped and tried to cover herself up, feeling naked in front of him. She felt breathless from him scaring her, but also from the sight of him. It was if she had forgotten how sexy he could look, as he stood there in one of his three-piece suits, his hair naturally spiked itself, not one bit of it out of place.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Rumald apologised leaning off the doorframe and gestured to her, pointing to the floor as he twirled his hand. "I didn't want to disturb you, while you were dancing."

Belle held her hand over her chest and went over to where she left the remote for the sound system, and turned it off over her shoulder as she spoke to him. "I got a bit lost in it."

"I thought you had." He said distantly, his eyes travelling down her body and back up to her face. Feeling self-conscious, Belle quickly looked herself over, following the travel of his gaze, seeing nothing on her skirt, her blouse or denim jacket.

"What?" Belle questioned, rechecking herself after glancing up at him.

"Oh, nothing." Rumald waved his hand dismissively, as he walked further into her apartment, his eyes roamed over everything else apart from her. "I always thought this was a good size apartment."

"Okay…" Belle scrunched her forehead at him. "Is there a reason, you're here?"

"I saw you and Ruby moving boxes in earlier, so I assumed you were moving in. As the landlord, I have to do a walkthrough of the apartment with you, when you take possession of it. Just in case, there's something I need to get fixed." He said snooping in her box of books and picked one out to read the back of the cover.

Her brow eased at his reasoning. "Well, let's get on with it then, I don't want to intrude too much into your busy day."

"Dearie, you intruded long ago." He told her, tossing the book back into the box.

"What?" She asked with her eyebrows squeezing together at him.

"Shall we start in the kitchen?" Rumald suggested, moving around the furniture to the kitchen area. Following him to the kitchen, Belle hung back away from him, studying him as he started opening and closing cupboards, checking appliances and lit the stove to check the burners and the oven. He opened the cupboard doors under the sink and bent down to check underneath it. While Rumald was doing this, Belle let her eyes roam over him, liking the sight of his pants tightening over his backside. A smile crept its way over her lips, remembering times where she had dug her fingers into the flesh of his rear, riding the wave of ecstasy he had erupted inside of her.

"It's dry under here, so the sink's not leaking." Rumald said standing up to close the cupboard doors and disappointed Belle, as his suit jacket lowered to cover his behind. Belle bit her lip at the memory, but quickly stopped herself when he was turning to look at her, where she slumped against a counter.

"Is there anything you've found that needs repairing? Or something you've thought you could do with?" Rumald asked, moving over to the fridge to open it, checking it working.

"No, not really." Belle said shaking her head. "I just need to get some furniture and other things."

Rumald closed the fridge, saying. "Just let me know what pieces you'd want, I might have them in storage or in my stock."

"No, I'll take care of them myself. But thank you for the offer." She told with a slightly forceful tone, as she crossed her arms over her chest, feeling his kind offer touch a raw nerve. A nerve his actions had already irritated.

"My offer still stands no matter what, dearie. You only need to ask." He said sauntering by very close to her, the fabric of his suit jacket brushed up against her crossed arms, while his aftershave invaded her senses. Belle breathed in his aftershave deeply, loving the crisp citrus smell of him. Her heart pounded against her chest, as she bit down on her lip again and clenched her eyes shut, savouring the moment before his scent faded.

"The bathroom was refitted at the beginning of the year." Rumald informed her, his voice muffled by having the bathroom door partly shut.

Turning her head in the direction of his voice, she realised he had gone into the bathroom without her. Belle trotted across the room and cautiously opened the door to stick her head around it. She smiled seeing him bent over the bath to turn the taps on and held his hand under the hot water. When he was happy with the hot water, he activated the feature on the bath to turn the shower on, stepping out of the spray just in time. A small chuckle escaped Belle, thinking how funny it would have been if he had accidentally soaked himself. Soaked himself enough that he would have to strip off and… Her head shook the thought away, as he turned the taps off.

"Everything's good in here." He said moving to come out of the bathroom and grabbed the door to open it wider. "Bedroom now."

"Excuse me?" Belle looked at him wide eyed, as he stood next to her in the doorway.

"It's the last room to check… The bedroom." Rumald pointed to the bedroom door behind her.

Her head nodded once up and down. "Yes… Right."

He shook his head smiling and brushed up against her, as he squeezed through the gap in the doorway. The tingle up the side of her body made her shiver. She held her hand over her forehead, cursing the way her body reacted to him, aching for him to take her into his arms. Her head fell back against the doorframe, as she let her hand fall from her face to her side, letting out a long heavy sigh.

"Everything in there looks in order." Rumald said directly into her ear, his warm breathe blew through the wisps of her hair near her ear, tickling her face.

"For god's sake!" Belle exclaimed at him, whipping round to face him.

He grinned at her. "What?"

"Stop doing that!" She told him, briskly hooking the wisps of her hair behind her ear.

"I can't help the fact you're daydreaming." He said waving his hand towards her.

"I wasn't daydreaming." Belle said and pushed pass him, feeling trapped in the bathroom.

Rumald chuckled to himself, as he followed behind her. "Whatever you say, dearie."

"Look," She whipped round to face him, pointing her finger at him, her actions made him stop moving. "If you're done with your landlord duties, then you can leave if there's nothing else."

The smug look he had worn on his face was gone, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down before he said. "That wasn't the only reason. Not the main reason for coming over here."

"What then? What can I do for you?" Belle asked expectantly and crossed her arms in front of her, protecting and hugging herself at the same time.

"I came over here to tell you…" Rumald started to say and trailed off, tightly closing his eyes for a few seconds before he said. "I'm old, Belle."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're not old. You're only thirty nine…."

"I'm older than you." He interrupted her, as his forehead creased at his annoyance. "I have baggage. Lots of it. Too much." Rumald exaggerated his hands around in a flurry. "There are times when things get too much and I have to shut myself off to it."

"And?" Belle waved her hand at him to continue.

"And… I'm an idiot." Rumald said with a sigh.

"Okay, now tell me something I don't know." She said trying to get it over with, so the aching in her chest could stop.

Rumald unbuttoned his suit jacket as he turned partly away from her, pausing to think, and turned back to face her, saying. "I've never done this."

"Done, what?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I've never had a relationship like this." He said gesturing between them, but Belle was more enthralled with the look in his eyes. The pleading and helplessness in his eyes made her want to wrap her arms around him and tell him it was okay. After the way he had treated her recently, Belle did not feel comfortable in offering him comfort.

Belle pressed her brow down over her eyes, as she said. "You were married, Rumald. You've had a relationship like this before."

"No, it wasn't like this." Rumald stepped towards her and reached up to her face, brushing the backs of his fingers against her cheek. "I never felt like this for Milah."

She just stared into his eyes, as he clasped his hands either side of her face and lowered his lips to her. Her eyes closed waiting for his lips to touch hers, her face edged forward hoping to meet his lips sooner, but opened her eyes when his touch left her face. Behind her, she could hear voices in the hallway and spun round to see Albert appear just outside her apartment doorway in the hallway.

"Ruby!" Albert shouted, as he dropped the large bookcase onto the floor. "Stop pushing me!"

"Move quicker then! It's heavy!" Ruby's bodiless voice retorted, as the bookcase shoved into Albert.

Albert glared. "Hey!"

"Bae!" Rumald's voice was deep, when he called his son. "Just get the bookcase in here and stop whining!"

"But, dad!" Albert cried back, pointing at Ruby in the hallway.

Rumald shook his head. "No, just get on with it!"

Huffing Albert grabbed hold of the bookcase and lifted it to bring into the room, dragging Ruby into the room with it. They stood it against the wall, while they scowled at each other. Belle ignored the small shove from Ruby to Albert, watching Rumald stalk his way to the open doorway, buttoning up his suit jacket. As he reached the doorway, Emma came stumbling through the doorway with a smaller bookcase.

Rumald stood to one side and let her come into the apartment, turning to say to Albert. "Come on, Bae. Time to go home."

"Okay." Albert said and went over to Emma to kiss her goodbye. He flashed a smile to Belle as he walked by her and went to his father, his head hanging low.

When Albert was in arm reach of Rumald, his father laid his hand onto his son's shoulder, saying to Belle. "If you need anything, just call me."

Belle raised her eyebrows at him, feeling adrift as he went with Albert towards the elevator, disappearing out of her sight. She felt bereaved that he was gone and he had not kissed her. However, now she wanted to know more. She needed to know what he meant by he had never felt like this for Milah. Her heart knew what it wanted it to mean, but her head told her self-preservation was the only thing she should be concerned with, not hoping for the dream that was just out of reach. As he had said, he had his baggage… so did she.

"Pizza?" Ruby called from the other side of the apartment.

"Sure." Belle mumbled, still aimlessly watching the doorway, as Ruby spoke to Emma about pizzas.

Song: Reload – Sebastian Ingrosso


	41. Chapter 41

It was Friday night and Belle was going out. She stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, applying her red lipstick evenly onto her lower lip and then up and around her top lip. Smacking her lips together, she put the lid back on her lipstick and discarded it into her makeup bag, sat on the unit beside the sink. Belle checked herself over in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor, as she crossed over to the couch and collected the blue leather jacket that laid over the back of it. She slid her arms into it, walking over to the sound system to turn it off.

As she went over to her small handbag, which sat ready with her keys, phone and money inside, Belle pulled at the tight fitting black dress Ruby had insisted Belle wear for their night out. She was not comfortable wearing it, not liking how high the hem was on her thigh or how low the bust was around her breasts. Belle had nearly not worn her blue dress to Gladius's dinner, worried it revealed too much, compared to this dress it would have been classed quite modest. Grabbing her purse from the kitchen counter, her eyes were drawn to the large envelope that sat close by. It had come with the other paperwork from the school, but mistakenly it had been sent to Belle instead of Rumald.

With the thought she could kill two birds with one stone, Belle hooked the strap of her small handbag over her shoulder, crossing the living room area to look through the blinds to see Rumald's car parked beside his shop and the shop lights were on inside. She nodded to herself and went back to the kitchen counter, collecting the envelope on her way to the door of her apartment and left.

Belle pulled the door to her apartment closed behind her and strode the few steps to the elevator to push the call button. The doors opened straight away and let her inside to press the ground button on the panel. The elevator clanked as the doors closed and rode down to the ground floor, the odd clank and clink sounds coming from the elevator as it came to a halt. She walked out of the elevator into the dimly lit library. The only traces of light came through the edges of the blinds, casting ghostly wisps of light across the library. Belle turned the knob to unlock the library door and stepped out into the cool night air, clutching the envelope to her chest, and pulled the door to behind her to give it a quick shove, making sure it was locked.

The streets were near enough empty with most people being at home at eight o'clock at night. Belle smiled looking up at the sky, as she crossed the intersection to the side of the street with his shop on it, admiring the last bit of sunlight chased away by the darkness of the night. Having spent a week on her own in her apartment had done wonders for Belle already. She had time to do whatever she wanted, such as reading all day on her couch with her music playing in the background, something her father would never have allowed. A contentment had come over her, enjoying the pleasures of her own company. However, that did not stop the yearning she felt watching his car arrive in the morning and leave in the evening. Belle had tried a few times to catch him in his shop, so they could talk, but every time she went over there he had locked up the shop and gone out.

Coming to the corner of his shop, Belle peeped through the window of his shop, hoping to spot him behind the counter. He was not there. She pressed her lips together moving to the shop door and tried the door handle after seeing the sign in the window, was still on the open side. The door lock clicked back and Belle gently pushed the door open, slowly edging her way into the shop with the bell above the door ringing. Her eyes went to the curtained doorway between the front and back, which had been tied back, holding the curtains apart, expecting Rumald to appear through the doorway.

She closed the door causing the bell to ring again and heared loud banging coming from the back of the shop. Holding the envelope over her chest, Belle walked through into the back of shop, finding Rumald hitting two pieces of wood together to join them. Her brow scrunched together, able to hear the music he was playing in the back room, now he had put the wooden mallet down onto the workbench. Smirking, Belle stood near the doorway watching him, much as he had done to her on Monday as she had danced around her apartment. He was nodding his head side to side in time with the music, whilst he bent over to check the alignment of the two pieces of wood. She titled her head enjoying the clear view of his backside, grateful he had removed his suit jacket while he was working.

Thinking she might be able to get a little pay back on him, Belle said loudly. "Unlike you to work so late."

The big surprise reaction she had expected did not happen. He simply titled his head to see her behind him and turned back to the two pieces of wood on his workbench. Disappointed Belle ambled over to stand at the end of his workbench, her eyes inspecting the wood he was putting together. He stood up straight and grabbed another piece of wood, which was the same length as the two he had bashed together.

"I have to get this finished for the morning." Rumald told her, his brow hunched over his eyes as he lined up the two sets of grooves together. "I'm restoring a sideboard."

"Oh…" Belle muttered, realising he was making a draw.

He picked up his wooden mallet, saying. "Something I can do for you, dearie?"

"No, I just came to drop this envelope off before I meet up with the girls." Belle laid the envelope onto his workbench. "The principal's secretary sent it to me by mistake. It's for you."

"Probably the tenant agreement." Rumald dismissed it and smacked the mallet against the tongued groove of the pieces of wood on his workbench.

He hit it again, as Belle grimaced a smile to herself and moved away from his workbench to leave, hearing him ask over her shoulder. "Going somewhere nice tonight?"

"Just to the Rabbit Hole." Belle answered, as she twirled around to face him.

"You be careful." He mumbled down at the draw he was making and hit the join again with the mallet.

She shifted the strap of her handbag on her shoulder, saying. "I'll be with the girls."

"I don't care if you're going with a riot squad." Rumald said pivoting round to face her, slinging the mallet onto his workbench as he turned. "I still want you to be careful, when you're going out dressed like that."

"What? What's wrong with it?" Belle asked surveying herself and parted her leather jacket open by putting her hands on her hips.

"There's nothing wrong with what you're wearing, dearie. It's other… people I have a problem with." He told her, tugging at his tie to remove it from around his shirt collar, and opened the first few buttons of his shirt.

Belle shook her head at him, waving an unconcerned hand at him, and left the back room saying. "I've got to go."

The shaking of her head continued until she walked out of the front of his shop and closed the door, unaware that Rumald was watching her walk pass the shop window from the curtain doorway. Belle smiled at his concern for her, as she crossed the intersection and made her way into Grannies, to meet up with the girls.

They left Grannies shortly after Belle had arrived and laughed and joked on the short journey to the Rabbit Hole. Rallying at the bar in the Rabbit Hole, the girls ordered their drinks and a round of shots. They congratulated Belle on her new job before downing the shots in one. Belle blinked her wide eyes at the aftertaste of her shot and took a drink from her rum and coke to rid herself of the tangy taste in the back of her throat. Ruby led the group to an empty booth and ushered them all into it.

"Right!" Ruby announced to them, sliding into the booth beside Belle. "We're going to have another round of shots and then we're going to hit the dancefloor."

"Oh, no, not yet, Ruby." Ashley moaned from beside Belle, blocked in by Mary-Margaret beside her. "I can't do shots like you can, one after another."

"But, we're celebrating!" Ruby exclaimed, waving her hands about excitedly.

Belle smiled and shook her head. "By the way, you're carrying on I would think you'd gotten the job."

"I'm just happy for you. Things are going your way." Ruby said, touching Belle's shoulder.

"Yeah… Certain things." Belle said lowering her head, the ache in her chest for Rumald souring her mood.

Mary-Margaret bounced up and down in her seat, removing the straw from her mouth to put her cocktail down on the table. "Oh my god! I love this song! Down and dirty baby! Stop the rock!"

"Come on, Mary-Margaret." Ruby urged getting up from the booth to offer her hand to her. "Let's go dance!"

Excitedly Mary-Margaret clambered out from the booth and took hold of Ruby's hand to be led to the dancefloor. Belle watched them go and sipped from her drink, sliding her legs over one of them to cross them under the table.

"I don't know how those two have the energy." Ashley commented and drank from her cocktail. "Ruby's out nearly every night and Mary-Margaret is teaching and doing all those after school projects and volunteering at the hospital. How do they have the energy? I just want to go to sleep and all I do is look after Alex all day."

Belle reached over and squeezed Ashley's hand on the table. "Don't worry about it. I'd rather be in bed with a book."

Ashley giggled. "At least it isn't just me."

"Not at all." Belle said moving her gaze back to the dancefloor to see Ruby and Mary-Margaret dancing together. Even seeing her friends enjoying themselves, Belle still would rather be at her apartment, curled up on the couch or in bed with a hot chocolate, reading the next few chapters in her book. Alternatively, she would have rather been sat in Rumald's back room, reading her book while she discreetly observed him as he went about his work. Or, been curled up beside him on the couch at his house, watching some trivial thing on the television, while she rested her head on his chest.

"Hey, how's the apartment? Ruby said you moved in Monday." Ashley asked, playing with the straw in her cocktail.

Belle took a deep breath, making her straighten her back, as she answered Ashley. "It's nice. I've got a few more things to get, but I love it. An endless supply of books just an elevator ride away."

"Sounds like heaven for you." Ashley chuckled and slurped at her straw in her cocktail.

"I'll save a fortune from not buying any more books." Belle confided.

"Belle!" Ruby shouted making both Ashley and Belle jolt in surprise, as Ruby ran in her heels towards them, holding her hands out to Belle. "Come on! It's our song!"

Belle did not have a chance to refuse, Ruby grabbed Belle's arm and pulled her out of the booth and towards the dancefloor, as Belle threw her bag to Ashley in the booth. The song she was referring to, Peanut Butter Jelly, was just getting to the chorus as they reached the dancefloor. Rolling her eyes in defeat, Belle joined everyone and danced to the beat of the song. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, as Belle enjoyed the carefree moment on the dancefloor, forgetting about all her troubles apart from trying not to look like an idiot as she danced.

Much of the night was spent between having drinks in their booth and dancing on the dancefloor. With all four of them now on the dancefloor, Belle had hooked the strap of her handbag over her body, the thin strap pressed her dress into the gap between her breasts. They were standing in a close circle together, keeping the space between them to themselves. She was having such a great night Belle did not want to end, even after Ashely had announce it was nearly midnight. They had promised one more drink and two more songs and then they all would leave.

Lost in the beat of the song, Belle closed her eyes and moved in time with the music, waving her arms above her head. She forgot about everyone else, her drunken mind wandering to him and his imagery hands as they slid over her body. The warmth of his hands filtered through the thin material of her dress. The change in temperature sent a shiver up her spine, as she felt the hardness of his chest press up against her back. His hands moved over her body and found her hips, using his hands to change her sideways motion to a circling motion, as his hips melded to her.

Belle leant her head back against her imagery Rumald and breath in his… Oaky aftershave? Confused, she opened her eyes and was shocked to find someone other than Rumald behind her. She was about to jump away from him, when a firm hand grabbed her forearm and yanked her away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" His voice was deep and threatening, as Belle whirled round into Ruby's arms.

"I'm dancing with the beautiful lady." The stranger told him.

Belle frowned recognising the back of Rumald's head, as he pointed his finger at the other man. "Keep your hands off her!"

"Hey!" The other man said stepping into Rumald's personal space, causing Rumald's finger to press into the man's chest. "She didn't seem to mind. She was enjoying it."

"Keith, come on, let's go and get a drink." Ruby suggested persuading Belle to move to one side before she moved to Keith's side.

"No, Ruby. I'm not having him talk to me like that!" Keith seethed at Rumald.

"I'll talk to you however I like, dearie." Rumald snarled, shoving his finger into Keith's chest.

Keith glanced at Belle over Rumald's shoulder and teased Rumald. "She enjoyed it. I could feel it. She wanted it. Wanted me."

In a split second, Rumald had grabbed Keith around his neck and pressed his thumb up into the underside of Keith's tongue, forcing the other man to tilt his head up to the ceiling, as Rumald ran Keith backwards into a wall. Belle let out a surprised gasp at the sight of them, as Rumald plunged his fist into Keith's stomach and winded him, causing the taller man to collapse to the floor. With Keith down at Rumald's feet, Rumald bent over to the other man and grabbed a fist full of his jacket to lift him, gaining better access to punch Keith in the face. Keith fell hard to the floor from Rumald's punch, blood poured out of his nose as Rumald stamped his foot into Keith's stomach.

Two guys restrained Rumald and dragged him away from Keith, but were not able to get Rumald away quick enough, as he stamped his foot into Keith's groin. The cry of pain from Keith drowned out the music until his cry subsided. Torn between apologising to Keith and following Rumald, Belle went after Rumald as she saw Ruby taking care of Keith. She pushed her way through the crowd that had gathered to see the commotion and caught up with Rumald, as the two guys dragged him out of fire door. The door nearly closed on Belle as she got to it, she groaned pushing the heavy door open again.

Rumald was straightening his waistcoat, glaring at the two guys who were walking away from him, back towards the fire exit. She glanced over her shoulder to watch them go through the door, yanking the door close behind them, locking them both outside in the alleyway. Turning back to look at him, shocked by his sudden outburst, Belle stared in disbelief at him, while he shook the hand he had used to punch Keith.

"I told you to be careful!" Rumald growled, flexing his fingers.

"What the hell was that?" She shouted at him, throwing her hand to gesture to the Rabbit Hole behind her.

Rumald clenched and unclenched his hand into a fist, saying. "Watching out for you!"

"I was fine!" Belle exclaimed to him. "I was with the girls!"

"They really did a lot, didn't they?" Rumald criticised.

"Did you give anyone a chance to do anything? And what the hell are you doing here?" She threw back at him, holding her hands out either side of her as she spoke.

Rumald glared at her. "I'm not going to let him touch you!"

"I would've taken care of it myself!" Belle shouted dropping her hands to her sides, slapping the bare skin of her thighs. "I don't need you to take care of me! It's bad enough you've gone behind my back and been paying for things for me! I don't want your help! I can do things myself, thank you very much!"

"No, you don't need me to take care of you!" Rumald said to her sternly, crossing the couple of steps between them to come face to face with her. "I need to take care of you!"

Belle shoved him away and walked away from him, leaving him to stumble a few steps backwards. "Well, don't! I don't want you taking care of me! I am quite capable of taking care of myself!"

She heard his feet pounding on the pavement up behind her. "Belle, wait!"

"No!" She shouted, as his fingers clasped her arm and yanked her backwards, swinging her round to face him.

"Listen to me!" Rumald tugged on her arm. "I know how you feel. Not for the same reasons, but I understand how you don't want to rely on anyone else. You can't expect me to care about you and not want to look after you. I want to give you everything you've ever wanted. I want to make you happy."

Belle tiptoed up into his face. "Telling me you didn't want to see me, did not make me very happy."

His eyes closed, a regrettable sigh escaping him as he opened his eyes saying. "I had just listened to your father tell me, how you and Gaston had been meeting up behind my back and that Gaston had asked your father for your hand in marriage. I didn't know what to think. I had my head telling me one thing, my heart telling me another thing, your father babbling on about how you were in love with Gaston." Rumald let go of her arm and said. "I'm sorry. It was… It just brought back memories of Milah leaving me. I couldn't bear it, if it happened again."

"You should have listened to me." Belle said to him quietly.

"I had to walk away," The back of his fingers brushed over her cheek. "I was scared I would lose it and hurt you… physically."

"You wouldn't hurt me." She softly said reaching up to latched her fingers with his hand that caressed her face.

His fingers tightened, pinching her fingers between his. "You're too precious to me to take the risk. I would rather walk away than hurt you, Belle."

Belle let go of his hand and slung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as she nestled her face into his neck to smell his familiar citrus smell. His arms encircled her and his hands clenched at her jacket, embracing her tightly against his chest. They stood together in silence, holding onto each other as if their life depended on it.

"Belle, it's getting late." He whispered into her ear, his face now submerged into her hair. "Let me walk you home."

"Okay." She replied and slowly let go of him, allowing her hands to slide down from his neck to his chest. His hands rubbed up and down her back before he placed his hand on her lower back, guiding her out of the alleyway and down the sidewalk towards the library.

They did not say much on the way to the library and not much else apart from goodbye when they stood outside of the library. There was hesitation from both of them, unsure what they should do, whether they should kiss or not. Rumald made the decision for them and kissed her sweetly on the cheek, and then beckoned her to go into the library with a promise to see her tomorrow. She hoped it was not like the last promise to see her tomorrow, where she did not get to see him for two days.

Song:  
Stop the Road – Apollo Four Forty  
Peanut Butter Jelly - Galantis


	42. Chapter 42

Belle sat in the windowsill of one of her apartment's windows, which looked out over Rumald's shop, nursing a large cup of coffee between her hands. It had been mid-morning when she had woken up alone in her bed, miserable to know the night she believed they had spent together, after he had surprised her by following her up to her apartment, had only been a dream. She had laid in her bed after the realisation, clutching a pillow against her chest to comfort herself of the lost. The sensations of her dream haunted her, whilst she had been in the shower, lathering herself in soap as her hands had followed paths his hands had trailed over her body. Thinking of him touching her and laying his bare skin against hers provoked a heat between her legs.

Spying through the blinds of the window, Belle had watched Rumald and another man conversing at the front of his shop, when he had arrived to greet the man who had been waiting in the white panel van. She sipped her coffee, watching them enter Rumald's shop to disappear out of sight. As she laid her legs out on the windowsill, her curiosity perked, when she spotted them coming from the back of Rumald's shop, carrying a sideboard between them. They struggled with it, as they came around Rumald's Cadillac and gently placed it onto the ground, allowing the other man to open the back doors of his van to put the sideboard inside. They exchanged a shake of hands before the other man got into his van and drove away, while Rumald went back into his shop.

She had remained sat in the windowsill for most of the day, reading her book while from the corner of her eye she watched his shop. There had been no sign of him after his exchange with man at the front of his shop. Belle was too distracted with her thoughts of Rumald to concentrate solely on the book in her hands. Hearing the honesty behind his words, as they had exchanged heated words in the alleyway beside the Rabbit Hole, had left her feeling that they still had so much more they needed to talk about.

The rumble from her stomach called her to fridge, where she grabbed a tub of yogurt from the fridge and a spoon from the cutlery draw, and retook her seat on the windowsill. She partly ripped open the lid on the yogurt and dipped her spoon into it to take a spoonful of it, and slipped it into her mouth as she claimed her book from under her leg. Laying the book open on her legs, Belle pulled the spoon out of her mouth and delved it into the yogurt to put another spoonful into her mouth. Belle flicked to the next page in her book and drew the spoon out of her mouth, as she read the new page in her book.

From the other side of the room, her phone started to ring as Belle went to take another spoonful from her yogurt. Grumbling to herself, Belle clambered out of the windowsill and turned her book face down onto the windowsill to hold her place in the book. She hurried across the room and snatched her phone off the coffee table to answer it.

"Hello." Belle answered.

"Miss French," Gladius's greeting made Belle stiffen her back. "I hear congratulations are in order."

"Oh, thank you, Gladius." Belle said smiling, as she sat down onto the couch behind her.

"Albert and I were just discussing how we should celebrate your new job. So, if you've got no plans this evening, would you come to dinner at Rumald's house?" Gladius asked.

Belle's smile wavered at the kind offer before the corner of her lips drew wider across her face. "What time would you like me there, Gladius?"

"Six o'clock?" Gladius suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Belle said, leaning back into the cushions of the couch.

"Okay, good. We'll see you then." Gladius said before they both said their farewells. As she tossed her phone onto the couch beside her, Belle raised an eyebrow in wonderment at the invitation.

She was not used to other people being happy for her. Any time she had accomplished anything when she was younger, it had been superseded by whatever mess her father had dragged her into. When she had received a letter of acceptance to college with a full scholarship, it had been forgotten when the debt collector turned up on their door to repossess her father's car. Belle had not known why at the time or even to that day, why she thought it would be any different, when she had stood waiting to tell her father of her good news, while he pleaded with the debt collector. For once, she had wanted a moment where her father had been pleased with her and it was all about her, and not running away from another debt.

At the memory, Belle closed her eyes and exhaled loudly with Rumald's plead echoing in her ears. Her father may have not physically mistreated her, but he had done enough damage to Belle mentally that as much as she was open to people, there were parts of her closed off. There were parts of herself, she was unwilling to allow anyone near and protected herself from the hurt they could cause her.

However, as much as Rumald had his own guards around himself, he seemed more open to her last night than he had before. There was an ease in the way he had spoken to her, with a hint, there was more behind his words. He wanted to care for her. He wanted her to lean on him, to need him more than physically. Gladius had already implied during their conversation at Grannies, that Rumald needed her strength as a crutch. So, why could she not allow herself to do the same with him and lean on him in her time of need?

Fear. Simple. A fear she would get hurt again.

Loving someone was easy. Relying on someone to be there for you was different. It opened you up to another kind of pain. At least with loving someone, there would be two predictable outcomes, happy ever after or it broke. Trusting someone to hold your hand, when you needed their support, was not something Belle could do easily. Her father had laid the groundwork to her mistrust and Gaston had strengthened the foundations. The idea of giving Rumald her faith, allowing him the chance to look after her and hold her up when she was down, scared her. She had naively done it with Gaston and that had bitten her back harder than she could ever imagined it would have.

A knock from her apartment door brought her out of her thoughts. Getting up from the couch, Belle placed her yogurt onto the table and went to her apartment door, pulling the sleeves of her hoodie down her arms to cover her hands. She opened the door to find Rumald on the other side of the door. He smiled at her, as she hugged and rested her cheek against the edge of the door, returning his smile.

"Hi." Rumald said, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe.

Belle swept some hair behind her ear, as she returned his greeting. "Hi."

"How're you feeling? Hung over?" He asked, inclining his head to see into the apartment.

"I don't tend to get hangovers, but I'm okay, thanks." She answered, not sure why felt so shy around him.

He gestured with his hand into the apartment, saying. "Normally, this would be where you would invite someone into your apartment."

"What?" Belle blurted at him, shoving herself away from the comfort of the door, looking from him to her apartment behind her. "Oh, sorry! Yeah, come in!"

She opened the door wider for him and closed it, when he entered her apartment. As she walked pass him towards the kitchen, Rumald unbuttoned his suit jacket and shrugged it from his shoulders.

"Tea? Coffee?" She asked collecting the kettle from its stand and held it under the tap as she filled it with water.

"Coffee would be nice." He replied laying his suit jacket over the back of the couch.

Belle placed the kettle back onto its stand and flicked it on, as she said. "I've only got instant."

"That's fine." Rumald said, as he crossed the room to the windowsill, where her book still lay face down holding her page. Curiously, she watched him over her shoulder, as she put a teaspoon of coffee into each of their cups. He picked up her book from the windowsill and read the cover, scoffed to himself as he laid the book back down onto the ledge of the window.

"What?" She questioned him.

The kettle clicked and Belle poured the boiling hot water into their cups, as he told her. "I saw you reading earlier and wondered what it was you were reading. I thought it would be some fantasy book, not a period romance."

Belle stirred their coffees. "I read everything. But, I do have a soft spot for period romances, especially North and South. I've probably read it over twenty times."

"That would not surprise me." He said over her shoulder making her jump, while he reached around her to claim one of the cups.

"Have you read it?" Belle asked steadying herself on the counter, chastising herself for not being aware of where he was, too busy thinking about her book.

"No." He said walking away from her and sauntered over to the couch to sit down.

"You should," Belle paused to take a sip of her coffee and joined him on the couch. "It's fascinating and has a few sub-plots to it, and several themes. The characters are so well..." She trailed off seeing a strange smirk on his face, as he gazed over at her, clutching his hands around his coffee cup ready to take a sip from it. "What?"

Rumald shook his head and took a drink from his coffee. "Nothing. I just liked the way your face lit up, as you were talking about it."

"Oh…" Belle chuckled.

"I know you're going to love your new job." He stated leaning forward to put his coffee on the table. "All those books downstairs and tutoring those that need it. It's like the job was made for you."

Belle pursed her lips together, stemming her instinct to snap, and asked. "Was it you that donated the money to the school?"

"Kind of…" Rumald eyed her beside him, gauging her reaction as he told her. "I was at the council meeting when the matter was brought up for vote. Miss Mills made a good argument for you, but Mayor Mills wanted the funds for some educational centre in the forest."

"So, you thought you would donate the money?" Belle inquired, clutching her cup between her hands.

He pulled an uneasy face at her. "I spoke with Gladius and we did it together." Rumald angled himself to face her, as he quickly said. "Look, it was half about you, but it was also the fact you've done such a brilliant job with Bae and Emma. Especially with Emma. I just knew you'd be able to help so many more kids at their school."

"Thank you." Belle said quietly and drank from her coffee, as Rumald rambled on. She sat listening to him, slowly smirking at his explanation of how she had worked hard for it and deserved it. The worry was evident on his face, as he prattled on about how he just wanted her to do something she would enjoy, instead of having to work at Grannies.

At the mention of Grannies, he quickly backtracked himself, saying. "There's nothing wrong with working at Grannies though. I suppose quite a few people could be happy with that line of work, but you're not meant to work in Grannies. And this has nothing to do with what Milah said at Bae's birthday dinner. Things may take time to happen, but things come to those that deserve it. Not to people who think they're entitl…"

"Rumald," Belle touched his knee, making him deflate his shoulders and drop his hands into his lap. "I said thank you."

"You did?" He asked scrunching his eyebrows together at her.

"Yes." She said, squeezing his thigh in reassurance.

Rumald chuckled nervously and laid his hand on top of hers, saying. "I thought you'd be angry when you found out."

"I was a little when I worked it out." She admitted and clasped his fingers into her hand. "But I've had time to think about it since then."

"Okay." He muttered rubbing his thumb over the tops of her fingers.

"Rumald, we both have our baggage." His fingers tightened around her hand, as his gaze dropped to their joined hands. "All I can say is that I'll try, as long as you're willing to try."

"I'm willing to try anything, Belle." Rumald raised his eyes to meet hers, showing her all she needed to know in that one gaze. The smile she showed him was infectious, as one of his own pushed at his cheeks and pulled his lips wide. He reached his free hand over and gripped the rim of her cup to take it from her, placing it beside his on the coffee table.

"Come here." He beckoned her to come to him, sitting back into the cushions of the couch as he held his arms wide to her. With a happy chuckle, Belle shifted along the couch and leant into him, resting her head against his chest while she bent her legs up behind her. His arms wrapped around her, squeezing her tight against his chest as Rumald kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes and relaxed into him, as he leaned his cheek against the top of her head.

"What're you doing tonight? Fancy dinner?" He asked her, rubbing his hand slowly up and down her arm.

Belle titled her head up to see him, making him angle his head to see her. "Funny enough, I've been invited to dinner already."

"Oh, really? By who?" He questioned, stroking some stray hair out of her face.

"Gladius." She told him, amused by the face he pulled. "She's invited me round to your house for dinner. I would have thought you'd know about it, seeing as it's at your house."

"Maybe I'm not invited." Rumald mused lulling his head back into the cushions.

"She wants me round there for six." Belle informed him, resting her head back against his chest.

Rumald shifted on the couch, as he said. "That explains why Bae called to see when I would be home. I said about six."

"Oh, you don't think…?" She giggled into his chest, feeling him lean up from the couch, probably trying to see her face.

"What?" He asked her, as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Belle sat up from him and looked at him, saying. "You don't think they're trying to set us up to have a chat?"

"Chat about what?" Rumald questioned, frowning at her suggestion.

"About us." She said leaning down to him, a smirk graced her lips as she laid her hand on his chest.

He smiled as he stroked his thumb across her soft cheek. "I think we've beaten them to it."

"Yes…" Belle mumbled to him, checking over her shoulder to see the clock in the kitchen read half past five. "I better go and change."

"Okay, I'll wait for you." He told her, while she clambered over the top of him to pad her way to her bedroom, but stopped short of her bedroom doorway.

She turned with a wicked smile on her face. "No, no, you go ahead. I'll meet you there."

"Why? We're both going to the same…" He was saying when she interrupted him. "You go ahead and I'll meet you at your house."

"If that's what you want." Rumald said pushing himself up from the couch.

As he straightened up, Belle crossed over to him and surprised him when he came face to face with her. "Don't say anything. I'm intrigued to see what they had planned."

Rumald frowned at her, but nodded his head before he leant in and kissed her cheek. She smiled at him, walking backwards towards her bedroom door, while he snatched his suit jacket up from the couch and left her apartment, pausing for one last glimpse of Belle before he left. She bit her lip entering her bedroom, slightly excited to see what her best friend and his grandmother had been plotting. However, she did feel bad for her own ploy, but she was starting to like the idea of people wanting her to be happy. Caring enough about her that they would tried to instigate something on their behalf. Even if they locked Rumald and her in a closet together, she was not going to complain about that, especially after the dream she had last night.


	43. Chapter 43

Knocking on the door to Rumald's house, Belle stepped back and let her gaze wander to his driveway, seeing Rumald's car parked behind the car he had bought for Albert's birthday. There was another car parked by the kerb in front of Belle's, a little Mercedes convertible. Knowing that Gladius was there, Belle assumed it was her car. She turned back to the door smoothing her skirt with her hands and tugged some of her blouse out of the waist her skirt, feeling uncomfortable with the tightness over her chest. As she shifted her weight from one foot to another, the front door open to reveal Albert on the other side of the door.

"Hey Belle!" He ushered her into the house, smiling broadly at her. Belle smiled at him as she stepped around him to hook her bag onto one of the coat hooks.

Following behind him into the kitchen, she pulled a face at the scene of Gladius and Rumald in the kitchen. Gladius was chopping vegetables at the counter that divided the kitchen from the breakfast table area, while Rumald was moving things around in the pans on the stove. She knew Rumald could cook, due to the fact he did not have hired help and the idea of Albert cooking made her laugh. Gladius on the other hand, Belle had assumed had never stepped one foot into a kitchen, seeing how she had staff at her mansion. It seemed Belle had made the same mistake of assuming things about Gladius, just as she had assumed Rumald was the same as the other debt collectors she had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting in the past.

"Ah, Miss French." Gladius greeted, dicing up a lettuce on the chopping board in front of her. "Would you like a drink? Some wine?"

"A coke would be nice." Belle said moving further into the room, her eyes roved of the new breakfast table and chairs.

Albert scooted over to the fridge. "I'll get it."

He opened the fridge and reached inside to get Belle's coke for her, while Rumald glanced at her over his shoulder, showing her a brief smile before turning back to the stove. Albert and Gladius were too busy with their own tasks to notice the interaction. Belle grinned with her eyes remaining on Rumald, as Albert came over to her with the can of coke and handed it to her. Rumald had removed his suit jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves. Just seeing his bare forearms was enough for Belle to feel slightly giddy, fantasying about stroking her nails through the light hair on his arms.

"Albert, you should get Belle a glass." Gladius scowled him, collecting the pile of lettuce she had chopped between her hands to dump into the large bowl.

Albert went to go into the kitchen, but Belle stopped him with a hand on his arm. "No, it's okay. Don't worry about it."

"Sure?" Albert asked, hesitantly glancing between Gladius and Belle.

"Save washing up." She told him, as she pulled the ring on the can to open it.

Gladius began tossing the lettuce with the other vegetables she had already put in the bowl, as she said. "Albert, can you get the place settings and cutlery, and go and set the table for dinner?"

"Yep." He jumped into action, opening a cupboard under the counter to collect the necessary items before he went to the cutlery draw and grabbed the knives and forks.

"Do you want a hand with that, Bae?" Belle asked, watching Albert struggle with his arms full.

"If you don't mind?" Albert returned her question with one of his own. Smiling at him, Belle left her coke on the side and went over to him by the fridge, and collected the place settings from his arms. As she took the place settings from his arms, she and Rumald shared another look between them.

"In the dining room?" Albert asked his grandmother, clarifying parts of their plan. Nodding her head at her grandson, Gladius poured some dressing into her salad, observing Albert and Belle slip through the doorway into the dining room.

"How's your head, Bae?" Belle inquired, as she laid a place setting onto the table, squaring it with the edge of the table.

Albert began setting the place with cutlery, as he said. "A bit sore, but bearable." He followed her to the next place setting, as she laid it onto the table. "Doctor was impressed with your stitching, by the way. Wanted to know where you learnt to do it."

"Too many chances to practise." Belle retorted, rounding the end of the table to lay the place settings opposite to the other settings.

"Really?" Albert's tone was full of surprise, as he began laying the last of the cutlery on the place settings.

"Yeah, we never had money for health care, so I had to learn to stitch and other things, to patch my father up after his run-ins with debt collectors." She shared with him, hugging her arms around herself.

Albert came to stand beside her and rubbed his hand over shoulders, saying. "You haven't got to worry about him anymore. We'll take care of you, Belle. I know, as much as things aren't how they should be at the minute, we'd always help you."

Belle's smile was wide, as she gently laid her hand on Albert's cheek, feeling teary at his kind words. She knew Albert's words were true already, but to hear him say it to her, really touched her. Taking in a deep breath to steady her emotions, Belle slid her arms around Albert's neck and stepped into him, silently thanking him for his kindness. He wrapped his arms around her and held her.

As they stood hugging one another, Belle sighed into Albert's shoulder, content with the warm feeling she felt in her chest. She had never really known the feeling until she came to Storybrooke. A feeling of a home. Too many times, she had been moved around because of her father, never really getting to know anyone or to settle into anywhere before they were moving again. Apart from college, being in Storybrooke had been the longest Belle had spent in one place.

However, it was not just Storybrooke, which gave her the homely feel. Being around Albert had been a breath of fresh air to Belle. A kindred spirit who understood her heartache. It brought them closer than she had been to anyone else. Belle could talk about it to Ruby, but she would never completely understand the hurt, not in the same way that Albert could understand. Even Rumald could understand her hurt, another one who had his own turmoil when it came to his father. The three of them were their own little support group, able to understand and listen. Or dare she think it, their own little… family.

"Albert!" Gladius called for him from the other room. She slid her arms down from his neck and let him go whilst he called he was coming. Belle blinked her eyes a few times, trying to stop any tears that had been threatening to spill down her cheeks.

Taking in a deep breath through her nose, Belle let it out slowly through her mouth, steadying herself as she traipsed back through into the kitchen. There was a flurry of activity in the kitchen with Gladius instructing Rumald how to plate the food onto the plate, while Albert carried the bowl of salad pass Belle into the dining room. Belle smirked seeing the irritation in Rumald's hunched shoulders, as Gladius told him off for putting too many potatoes on one plate. As she came to a stop at the end of the counter, reclaiming her coke, Rumald shot her a lopsided smile before Gladius slapped his hand and pointed to a plate on the counter.

"Pay attention." She told him, pointing forcefully at a plate. "Put two potatoes from that plate onto this one."

"It doesn't need to be perfect." Rumald said moving the offending items from one plate to another plate with the utensil in his hand.

"You should know better! Especially with the restoration work you do, everything has to be just right." Gladius stated whilst she carefully poured some sauce onto the chicken breast on each plate.

Rumald turned away from the counter with a saucepan in his hand and angled himself towards Gladius. "When you're not looking, I'll move them back."

"You wouldn't dare." Gladius dismissed his playful threat with a wave of her hand. His eyebrows raised at the wave of Gladius's hand and then looked to Belle at the end of the counter before he wandered over to the sink. Mumbling through her checklist, Gladius picked up two of the plates and marched out of the kitchen into the dining room.

Belle drank some of coke, as Rumald sauntered over towards her, but as he passed the plates, he plucked one of the baby potatoes off one of the plates and popped it into his mouth. Seeing the smirk on his face, as he walked by her, made her choke on her coke. She heard the fridge door open, while she coughed into the back of her hand and Gladius came back to the counter.

"Are you okay, dear?" Gladius asked concerned.

Waving away her concern, Belle managed to get control over her coughing and said croakily. "Went the wrong way."

Gladius gave Belle a warm smile and then picked up the plates from the counter, but stopped as she gazed down at the plates. "Wait a second… Rumald!"

She looked to the fridge to find he was not there, but was outside on the patio, drinking from a beer bottle as he gazed over the patio area. Gladius grumbled to herself and took the plates into the dining room, glaring at her ex-son in law as she walked pass the patio doors. Giggling at them, Belle carried her can of coke over to the open patio door and leant against the closed door, watching Rumald from behind remove his tie. His head turned so he was able to see over his shoulder and then pivoted round to face her, unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt.

"What are you doing out here?" Belle asked, as he came towards her to rest on the other side of the closed door, mere inches between them.

"Just thinking." He told her, a small smile pulled at the corner of his lips.

Scrunching her brow down over her eyes, Belle could not help herself and reach up to touch his face, stroking the backs of her fingers against his cheek. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said closing his eyes at her touch. "Just… It just reminds me of when I was married to Milah and Gladius used to come round for dinner. That's all."

"Oh…" She muttered feeling uncomfortable with Rumald thinking about his ex-wife.

As her hand left his face, Rumald caught her hand and pressed the palm of her hand against his face. "And how I wish it had been with you instead of her."

His admission made her smile, forgetting everything else Belle titled her head up to him and kissed him. The feel of his lips against her own, felt foreign but so familiar at the same time. Almost three weeks had passed since the last kiss they had shared, a quick kiss before he had gone to join Albert and Emma on the jet skis.

She had only meant to kiss him and pull away, but something had awaken between them, as their free hands latched around the other's head, keeping them from drawing away from one another. Belle took the short step through the doorway to be nearer. The sound of glass breaking did not interrupt their moment, as she felt Rumald's other hand skim over her lower back, coaxing her against him. A faint groan rumbled in the back of her throat, when she opened her mouth to him and felt his tentative tongue touch her own, mixing the taste of his beer with her coke. She dropped the open can of coke and threaded her fingers through his short hair, enjoying the feel of his prickly hair against her skin. Rumald pressed his weight against her and pinned her against the closed patio door making it shake against its locks, while his hands travelled and clutched at her.

"Rumald! Belle!" Gladius called from within the house. The call of their names hindered their hands and they slowly pulled away, grinning at each other. Rumald's hungry gaze flicked between Belle's eyes and her lips, whilst his tongue snaked out to lick his lips.

Belle breathed in deeply, stroking her hand down the side of Rumald's face. "We should go in."

"You go ahead. I'll quickly tidy up this glass." He said motioning down to the ground with his head, whilst his finger pressed into her sides.

"I'll get you another beer." She said and leaned up to kiss him again. Belle smiled against his lips, feeling his hands trying to keep her against him as she tried to move back. A soft pat against his shoulder and Rumald released her, grinning at her as she went backwards through the doorway. They needed to keep some sort of contact between them, even if it was only with their eyes.

Belle shook her head at herself going around the corner in the kitchen to yank open the fridge. Retrieving a beer for Rumald and another coke for herself, Belle ambled passed the patio, glancing at Rumald where he was bent over picking up the pieces of glass. Entering the dining room, Belle was confronted by Gladius's knowing look, making Belle feel self-conscious. She pulled out the chair opposite Albert and sat down, as she placed the bottle of beer by the place setting beside her. Albert was too busy digging into his dinner to notice the absence of Belle and Rumald.

"Nice to see things have sorted themselves out." Gladius said plucking her wine glass up from the table and drank from it, her eyes on Belle the whole time.

"Yes," Belle tucked her chair under the table. "It is nice."

Rumald entered the room rubbing his hands together, saying. "I don't think I even had lunch today."

"Good job I made plenty of salad then." Gladius said, finally taking her eyes off Belle to look at Rumald, as he sat down into the chair beside Belle, flashing a quick smile to her.

"That is, if gannet over there doesn't eat everything." Rumald tossed the allegation across the table at Albert, while he reached for the bowl of salad in the middle of the table.

Albert chewed quickly to clear his mouth, as Rumald offered the salad to Belle. "I'm growing!"

"There's growing, Bae." Rumald began to say, waiting for Belle to finish serving herself and then served himself. "And there's eating me out of house and home."

Belle chuckled at them, stabbing some salad onto her fork and ate it, listening to them bicker over the table. Sitting there with them, she recognised how much she had missed spending time with them. The relationship they shared was nothing compared to the one she had with her father, or even what she remembered she had with her mother. What they shared was precious, making her feel special, because she was probably only a handful of people that had seen Rumald with his son like this. Seeing as everyone in Storybrooke only saw him as the cold landlord.


	44. Chapter 44

(Towards the end of the chapter, Rating becomes M)

The last four months had been Belle's happiest. Life could not get any better. During the week and the odd Saturday, she oversaw things in the libraries and organised different book events, hoping to draw more residents into the library. Most of her afternoons were taken up with tutoring different students, either groups or one on one, and she loved it. She was grateful for the evenings she spent with Rumald and with Albert when he was home. They would cosy up on the couch together, either watching television together or just chatting about their day, as they shared a bottle of wine.

As she thought about their previous evening, she flexed her toes inside her heels, as she remembered how Rumald's fingers had worked the ache out of the arch of her foot. With her chin resting in the palm of her hand, Belle turned the page in her book, saddened she was not going to see him that evening, as he had to see Milah about something. Belle had not pressed him on it, especially when he had got defensive about it and changed the conversation. Whatever they were meeting about, she knew he was not looking forward to it. By the way his jaw had set, she knew he would rather walk on hot coals than speak to his ex-wife.

Over lunch with Ruby at Grannies, they had summarised the meeting could be about three things. One: it was something to do with Albert, which Belle had shot down, as Rumald would have told her about it. Two: Gladius had asked Rumald to talk to Milah about the family business, which could be probable. Three: a very long shot from Ruby, it had something to do with Milah's baby, joking the baby was actually Rumald's after a one night stand before Belle and Rumald had gotten together. Belle had scowled at the suggestion, but it still lingered in the back of her mind as she read her book at the library's circulation desk. Not because she believed, he had slept with Milah. Belle just did not like the idea of him ever being with another woman.

A woman and her child came up to the circulation desk and the child placed the books he had selected up onto the desk. Belle smiled warmly at him, marking the page in her book, and leant over the counter, so she could see him better. He held his library card up to her, shyly smiling at Belle as she took the offered card from him.

"Nice to see you're starting him young." Belle commented, scanning his library card into the computer.

The woman smiled at Belle and said, as Belle handed the card back to the little boy. "He loves fairy tales and Disney stories. Makes us read one every night."

Belle's smile widened, whilst she was scanning his books into the computer, and asked the little boy. "What's your favourite?"

"Hansel and Gretel." The little boy told her, reaching up to claim the small stack of books, Belle had signed out for him.

"Let me guess," Belle said, as the library door opened. "Is it because the witch's house is made of sweets?"

The little boy shook his head at Belle, clutching his books to his chest. "The evil witch goes in the oven."

Belle chuckled at him. "I suppose she does deserve it."

"Come along, Elliot." His mother suggested putting a guiding hand on his shoulder and smiled her thanks for Belle.

Belle followed them to the door with her eyes, surprised to see Rumald holding the door open for them. He smiled at the young boy, as the little boy walked through the door and the mother thanked Rumald. Gushing at the surprise of seeing him, Belle leaped off her stool behind the desk and trotted round to him, careful not to trip in her heels. As the door was closing, Belle latched her arms around Rumald's neck and kissed him hard, leaning all her weight onto him. He chuckled, as he kissed her back and held her steady when she parted their lips, keeping her arms around his neck.

"I wasn't expecting to see you." Belle confessed to him.

Rumald smiled kindly at her with his hands posed on her lower back, holding her firmly against him. "I finished a little early, so I thought I would pop in and see you, before I had to go round madams."

"Still don't want to tell me, why you two are meeting?" She asked, hoping he would put her out of her misery and divulge the secret to her. Anything would do, as long as it freed her of the torment Ruby's joke was doing to her.

"You can't help yourself, can you?" He asked, as his smile gave way to a frown.

"Okay, sorry." She apologised, but added. "Just tell me it has nothing to do with Milah's baby, but don't just tell me 'cause I said tell me, tell me the truth."

Rumald rolled his eyes at her and reached up to take her hands from around his neck, and pressed them on top of his heart. "I swear to you, our hands on my heart, whatever you're thinking is wrong. The only reason, I'm meeting with Milah, is to get something of mine back. Nothing else."

"Get something back?" Belle questioned him, as he raised her hands up to his lips to kiss the backs of her fingers.

"Hey," He said wrapping her arms around his waist and slung his own around her shoulders. "What are you doing this weekend?"

She smiled at him changing the subject. "Not a lot at the minute. I was going to see, if you wanted to go to a book fair in Brunswick on Sunday."

"Well… Miss French," Rumald said, laying his accent on thick, and smiled, feeling her hands clutching his suit jacket. "Bae is going camping this weekend with the Nolans. So…" He leant into her and nuzzled the tender skin behind her ear, whispering. "How about we get away for a weekend at my cabin, just the two of us?"

"Is this your way of distracting me from why you're meeting Milah?" She asked him, biting her bottom lip as he nipped the skin behind her ear.

Rumald inclined himself away from her, so he could see her face. "Depends, is it working?"

"Did I say stop?" Belle pushed a hand to his upper back, making him smile at her before he returned to the crook of her neck.

"What's your answer then? Weekend away with your handsome boyfriend, in the middle of nowhere?" He mumbled against her skin, alternating between kissing and suckling her neck.

Belle's head lulled to one side, losing herself to him, as she said. "Sounds good to me. Except, where does that leave you, if I'm going away with my boyfriend?"

"I'm sure I'll find a way to entertain myself." He whispered against her neck, his warm breath washed over her skin and made her toes clutch in her heels.

"What way would that be then?" She asked suggestively, snaking her hand up to press against his chest, persuading him to lean back so she could see his face.

"I'll show you at the weekend." Rumald said brushing his thumb over her cheek, as his eyes flicked to the clock on the wall behind her. "I better go. I said I would be there for four. It's ten to four now."

"And I'm definitely not seeing you tonight?" Belle clarified, as he started towards the library door.

He stopped by the door, his hand resting on the door ready to push it open. "I've got to go and see Gladius afterwards, and I'm supposed to be playing poker at Hatter's tonight, but if you'd rather I…"

"No, no." Belle waved her hand at him and smiled. "It's okay. Go to poker night. I'll call Albert or Ruby and see if they want to see a movie or something."

"I'll tell you what," Rumald crossed back over to her and claimed both her hands into his. "I'll make you a deal." He paused to smile at her. "If I get knocked out early, I'll call you. If I manage to take all their money and it's late, I'll message you."

"Okay." Belle said smiling, happy she might at least hear from him. He kissed her and then left, pausing with the door held open to take one last look at her before he let go of the door. Swinging from side to side on the spot, Belle gazed around the library and then ambled her way back behind the circulation desk to retake her stool and open her book.

About five o'clock, Belle checked the library was empty and locked up for the evening. She was out of luck when she messaged Ruby and Albert. Both were busy with either working or hanging out at the Nolans. Riding the elevator up to her apartment, Belle surmised she would spend the evening with Ben and Jerry, while watching whatever was recommend on her Netflix account. Quickly changing into her sweatpants and hoodie, Belle made herself a sandwich and grabbed a tub of Ben and Jerry from the freezer, leaving it on the coffee table while she ate her sandwich and selected to watch House of Cards.

As she dug another spoonful of ice cream out of the tub, her phone beeped from the kitchen counter. Sucking some of the ice cream off the spoon, Belle titled her head to see the clock in the kitchen and saw it was nearly eight o'clock. She paused Kevin Spacey mid rowing and scrambled off the couch to collect her phone. Unlocking her phone on her way back to the couch, Belle flopped onto the couch and opened her messages to see it was from Rumald. While she read his message, she pressed play on the remote, setting Kevin Spacey off rowing again as he spoke to Robin Wright.

' _Did you managed to get some company?'_

Belle licked the rest of her ice cream off the spoon, as she replied to him, telling him that Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright had dropped by to see her. She smiled at the image of his face when he read the message and scooped another spoonful out of the tub. Lying back against the arm of the couch, Belle put the spoon of ice cream in her mouth and settled back to watch the television. Her phone beeped again. She unlocked her phone and read his reply.

' _I'm going to take it you're with Ruby then. Try not to drink too much.'_

Frowning, Belle explained to him that she was watching Netflix on her own in her apartment and put her phone into the pouch of her hoodie. As she was scraping around the sides of the tub of ice cream, she looked up to the screen to see Robin Wright kissing another man. Her frown deepened at the sight, as it brought back memories of seeing Gaston in bed with another woman. The scene and the memories left her feeling uneasy.

The last nine months had been a roller coaster ride and things had finally settled down into a nice easy ride. They were happy. She could not ask anything more from him, only to hear him say three words to her. It was only thing she had not gotten over yet. The fact he never acknowledged she told him she loved him. It was the only thing, they had never spoken about and it seemed they never would. There were times when she had thought or felt he was about to say it to her, but had either stayed quiet or changed the subject. Belle had promised herself, she would not say it again until Rumald said it, but it looked like she would be waiting a very long time. Or… Maybe… He did not feel the same as she did.

The familiar beep of her phone shrilled out from her hoodie pouch. She finished the last of her ice cream and stretched herself to put the empty tub onto the coffee table. Relaxing back into the couch, Belle delved into her hoodie pouch and brought her phone out to read his message.

' _Sorry you've spent the evening alone. I'll finish here as soon as I can.'_

Belle shook her head, as she replied to him, telling him not to worry and win big. Sighing at the interruptions, she went back to watching House of Cards and dropped her phone next to her leg on the couch. As the credits rolled up the television, Belle pressed the button on her phone to see the time and decided to watch one more episode before going to bed. She pressed 'ok' on the remote and crossed her arms in front of her, enjoying the softness and warmth of her hoodie. Snuggling her face into her hoodie, submerging her face up to her nose, Belle deeply breathed in the scent of his aftershave, which she had spray onto her hoodie for times when she was missing Rumald.

The next episode was over with before Belle realised. Turning off the television and collecting her phone, Belle got up from the couch and went into the kitchen to make herself a hot chocolate for bed. Whilst checking the kettle had water in it, Belle opened the cabinet above it to retrieve her pot of hot chocolate and clicked the kettle on to boil. As she dumped a teaspoon of hot chocolate powder into a cup, her phone beeped on the counter beside her cup.

' _What you doing?'_

Belle placed the pot of hot chocolate back into the cabinet, while she worked her fingers on the screen of her phone, replying to him. _'Making a hot chocolate for bed.'_

The kettle clicked and burbled with the water boiling inside it. She poured the hot water into her cup and placed the kettle back onto its stand, when she got another reply from Rumald.

' _Have you changed for bed yet?'_

Scowling at his question, Belle took her phone with her to the fridge to get the carton of milk, typing out her reply. _'Aren't you supposed to be concentrating on your game?'_

She topped up her hot chocolate with the milk and put it back into the fridge, when his reply came through. _'Can't a man multi-task?'_

' _Are you qualified enough to do that?'_ Belle replied to him, taking her hot chocolate with her to her bedroom.

As she pushed her bedroom door further open, his reply came through onto her phone with the usual beep to signal its arrival. _'You didn't complain the other night.'_

Belle set her hot chocolate down onto her bedside table and sat onto the edge of her bed, typing out a reply to him. _'Complaints should be sent in letters. You'll receive yours tomorrow.'_

She laughed at the absurdity of their conversation and put her phone on the bedside, and stood up from the bed, as she removed her hoodie up and over her head. Her skin, which was not covered by her vest, goosed bumped at the lost of the warmth of her hoodie. Belle smiled to herself, removing her sweatpants, leaving her in only her vest and panties.

Ducking back into the main room of her apartment, Belle flicked off the lamp near her couch and plunged her apartment into darkness. The light from the streetlamps outside filtered in through the blinds, casting shadows over the wooden floor, but were not enough to illuminate her apartment. Instinctively knowing her way back to her bedroom, Belle went into her room and turned on the lamp near her bed, ready to read a few chapters in bed. But, as she opened a draw in her chest of draws, Belle paused with her hand in her nightwear draw, hearing the distinct click of her apartment door.

Belle frowned and crept to her bedroom door, listening as the door to her apartment opened and closed. Peeping round the corner of her doorframe, Belle squinted into the darkness trying to see if any shadows were out of place or moving. Everything looked how it always did in the dark. She quickly looked around and grabbed one of the heels she had worn earlier that day before she stealthily moved out of her bedroom. It would not be the first time she had to deal with an uninvited guest, coming home as a young girl to find a debt collector in the house, who had sprinted out of the house after Belle swung at them with a baseball bat. She wished she had one in her apartment, as she slowly tiptoed towards her apartment door.

Keeping her back to the wall behind her, Belle's eyes scanned the dark apartment, watchful of the shadows. She reached her hand out to the wall, feeling along the wall until she found the light switch for the whole apartment and turned it on. The room flooded with instant light, chasing all the shadows away. Belle blinked at the sudden change of brightness, waiting a couple of seconds for her eyes to adjust, and went around the room, checking behind the counter in the kitchen and the furniture in the living room area.

Nothing.

She let her hand carrying her heel drop to her side, slightly disappointed and confused she did not find anything. The noise was definitely her apartment door she knew the sound too well. It was her favourite sound to hear when Rumald was coming round. Before going back to her room, Belle diverted herself to her apartment door and checked it was secure, before flicking the dead lock into place on her door lock. There was no way anyone was coming in or leaving her apartment without her hearing it.

On her way to her bedroom, she slowed her pace looking at the bathroom door, noticing it was ajar. Raising her heel ready to hit whoever was in there, Belle snuck up on the bathroom door with her other hand attentively reaching out to push the door open. Slowly she opened the door and reached inside to turn the light on. The darkness flashed away and Belle jumped inside the room, yanking the door partly close to check behind it. She frowned finding no one behind the door and flung the shower curtain back to find no one hidden there either. Shrugging her shoulders, Belle left her bathroom turning off the light and went into her bedroom.

Belle tossed her heel to the floor by the other one and went to her open nightwear draw. She pulled out one of the silk nighties she had bought, on a recent shopping trip with Ruby, and shut the draw whilst she tossed it onto the foot of the bed. With her back to the doorway, Belle grabbed the hem of her vest and drew it up and over her head, forgetting it to the floor as she removed her panties to follow it. Picking up the black silk nightie, Belle fed her arms into it and pulled it on over the top of her head, smoothing it down her body with her hands. She straightened the straps of her nightie, as her phone beeped on the bedside. As she adjusted one of the straps, Belle rounded her bed to her phone and opened his message.

' _I'll be happy to hear any complaints you have, whilst you're wearing that nightie.'_

Startled by his message, Belle reread it again and then looked to the doorway to see him leaning against the doorframe, a smirk from ear to ear on his face. At first, she was tempted to throw her phone at him, but quickly chose to exchange her phone with her book on the bedside and threw it at him in the doorway. He chuckled and easily dodged it, whilst Belle stormed over to him.

"You scared me!" She shouted at him, slapping his upper arm.

"Ow!" He laughed catching her hand and tugged her towards him. "You didn't look that scared with your shoe."

Belle smiled at him, her temper easing as she hit his chest. "Where were you hiding?"

His gaze was down on her body, sliding his hands over her silk nightie, down to cup her backside. "I was moving around the counter in the kitchen, as you did your little patrol."

"Really!" She exclaimed and playfully slapped his chest.

"I thought nothing could be better than you in your vest and panties." He said distractedly. "Then you pulled this out."

Belle shook her head at him and pushed him away, saying. "Nope. Uh ah." She paused and grinned at him. "You don't deserve it. You've been a naughty."

"Really, dearie?" He said in his usual singsong voice, stepping towards her to capture her by the silk nightie and closed the gap between them. "I haven't even begun to be naughty."

Her eyes widened at his playful threat, bewildered by the darkness in his eyes, as his head ducked to the crook of her neck and teased her skin with his teeth. The sharp pleasurable pain made her hiss through her teeth, while he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her against him and walked her backwards towards the bed. She clawed at the back of his head, tugging his hair, and scraped her nails along his scalp. His groaned hummed against her skin making her tingle at his response.

When the foot of the bed pressed into the back of her legs, Belle reached out behind her with one hand, clasping his neck with the other, and guided herself to the bed with Rumald following her, licking and kissing along her collarbone. They edged their way up the bed together, their hands caressing and grasping the other. She could not help the gasp, as he pulled her nightie to one side and sucked her nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his teeth. Trying to keep control over herself, Belle raked her fingers through his hair, watching him torment her nipple and knead her other breast.

He released her nipple with a satisfactory plop and smiled up at her. "Did you say you had complaints?"

"The only complaint I have at the minute," Belle said to him, grabbing his suit jacket to shove off his shoulders. "Is that you have too much clothing on!"

Chuckling at her, Rumald leaned off her and sat back onto his heels, kneeling between her legs as he unbuttoned his suit jacket. "Nice surprise or not?"

"Not when you scare the living daylights out of me." Belle told him, as she sat up to unbutton his waistcoat, while he stripped his suit jacket from his arms.

"Oh, admit it." He urged tugging his tie and removed it over the top of his head.

She started unbuttoning his shirt, as he shrugged his waistcoat off his shoulders. "Admit what?"

Rumald clasped her face in between his hands, titling her head up to him. "You enjoyed it, even just a little bit."

"Shut up and get your clothes off." Belle instructed him, tugging his belt out of the loops to unfasten it. He smiled broadly at her and kissed her, combing his fingers through her hair. His belt jangled as Belle undid the button and zipper on his pants, while she lost herself into his kiss.

Leaving her breathless, Rumald shoved her back onto the bed and stripped his shirt from his arms, flinging the shirt to the floor. Belle bit her lip as she watched him lean over her, supporting himself with his arms and lowered his weight down onto her. Her legs naturally hooked themselves over his thighs, while she hungrily felt up his sides and over his back, and latched her lips onto his to give herself to him.


	45. Chapter 45

The clock on the library wall taunted Belle, slowly ticking away the seconds until she could lock up the library and meet with Rumald at his shop. They were going to leave for his cabin as soon as she had finished at the library. Her bag sat waiting patiently behind the circulation desk, another cruel reminder of where she would rather be than sitting behind the circulation desk. Half an hour and she would be able to leave, but at the rate the clock was moving, Belle felt like she was going to have wait for another lifetime to see him.

A ghost of a smile pulled at the corners of her lips, loving the memory of waking up with him snuggled in behind her, his arm draped casually over her with his fingers laced with hers. When she woke up to find him beside her, it felt like the first time every time. She would study the details of his relaxed face, twisting within his hold to trace a finger across the lines on his brow, down his slender nose to the lines his smile made in his cheeks, and traced the scar on his upper lip and the one Milah had given him months ago. Rumald would happily snore quietly to himself, oblivious to her studies of his face. He would finally wake up was when Belle carefully leaned into him and kissed him, receiving a groggy morning in return.

She leaned to one side and glanced at the clock behind her, moaning to herself as she straightened herself on her stool. If it was not for the fact, there were people in the library Belle would have snuck off early. Some of the students she was tutoring were huddled round a table, working together on their latest assignment. Belle had about twenty students she was tutoring, each one having different needs. It had worried her a month ago, when Zelena had requested her to come into the school one morning for a meeting. Everything from getting a reprimand to being fired went through Belle's mind on her way to the school that day, apart from the reason Zelena had called her into her office: praise. Zelena wanted to praise Belle in her outlandish way, thankful for the tutoring Belle was giving the students, as it was showing in their grades.

Heavily sighing, Belle crooked her neck to see the clock and jumped off her stool seeing it was ten to five. She wandered around the library, informing the patrons the library would be closing in five minutes. It was not long before the library emptied and Belle pushed a cart of books for shelving to the circulation desk, ready for whoever was on tomorrow morning. Belle snatched her bag from the floor and slid her phone into her jeans pocket, as she palmed her keys.

She stepped outside and took a deep breath of her freedom, excited for their weekend away. As she was locking the door, Belle could hear distant shouting from across the street. Frowning, Belle tugged the door and left to cross the street at the intersection. Her frown deepened seeing Killian's red sports car parked outside of Rumald's shop. Crossing the street, Belle realised the loud voices were emanating from the direction of Rumald's shop.

Her eyes went over Killian's sports car, as she came to a standstill outside of the Rumald's shop. The sign on the door was already flipped to close and the door was locked. The shouting came from down the side of the shop, somewhere behind Rumald's car. Curiously, Belle sauntered to the corner of the stop and peeked around the corner to see the trunk to Rumald's car was open. The voices had gone distant. She came around the corner of the shop into the alleyway and went to the back of his car to sling her bag in with the other bag sat in the trunk.

The voices came nearer. "Look, dearie, this has nothing to do with you anymore!"

"Rum! Listen to me! I'm telling you, it's about your money! You've got to know that!" Milah was pleading with him, as they came around the corner from the back of his shop.

Rumald was carrying a cardboard box and turned to stop Milah in her tracks, his back to Belle. "The only person, dearie, interested in my money is you!"

"That's not true!" Milah shouted at him, her hand protectively sat on her bump.

"Do you think I was born yesterday?" He chuckled at her, shaking his head, and turned away from her to see Belle, the frown on his brow was replaced with a smile at the sight of her. "Hey, sweetheart!"

"Should I ask?" Belle asked, her gaze on Milah waddling towards her, trailing after Rumald while he came to the trunk of the car to put the box inside.

"Don't worry about it. Milah was just leaving." Rumald said with his voice changing into a low growl, talking more to Milah than to Belle.

Milah glared at Rumald and said to him, as she walked by them and down the side of his car. "It won't end well, Rum. It'll happen again."

"It won't happen again!" He told her over the roof of the car after slamming the trunk shut. "Not everyone is self-centred as you. You're only getting like this, because it's not about you anymore and I'm happy."

Belle scowled from Rumald to Milah, who had stopped at the front of Rumald's car. "What's going on?"

"We'll see, won't we?" Milah sneered and toddled away, disappearing around the corner of the shop. Belle jumped when Rumald slammed his fist down onto the closed trunk, a clonk noise echoed inside the trunk. As she opened her mouth to ask him a question, he whirled round and slammed her against his chest, hugging her tightly to him. Stunned for a moment, Belle put her arms around him and held him, lost for words as he breathed deeply against the skin of her neck. If he had not been so annoyed, she would have found it a turn on, but with his back tense Belle knew Milah had been pushing his buttons again.

Shortly after Albert had started speaking to his mother again. Milah had turned up at Rumald's house demanding to see Albert, when he was at Emma's house for the evening. The cordial exchanged at the front door had quickly took a turn for the worse, when Milah began to tell Rumald about her latest pregnancy news. From the armchair in the living room, Belle had watched Rumald's shoulders hunch over, his fist tighten at his side and his jaw set, as his ex-wife babbled on about the preparations Killian and her were making for their baby girl. At the mention of names for the baby and thinking they would choose Susanne, Rumald had flown into full fury, ordering Milah to get off his porch and slammed the front door in her face. Later, after six bottles of beer, Rumald had divulged Susanne was the name they had chosen, if Albert had been a girl.

"I don't want to talk about it." Rumald mumbled against her neck. "I just want to get into the car and leave to spend the weekend alone with you. No interruptions for once."

Belle grimaced a smile into his shoulder, saying. "Whatever you want, Rumald."

Gradually he let go of her and kissed her cheek, a small smile appeared on his face. Rumald guided her to the passenger door and opened the door for her, closing it for her once she had stepped into the car. As she pulled her phone out of her pocket, Rumald got into the driver's side and started the car to leave Storybrooke.

They had been travelling for nearly two hours, when Rumald had slowed the car down and turned down a dirt track, perking Belle's interest from the sleepy daze she had fallen into earlier. The track became twisty and straightened out, when a log cabin came into view. It was not as breath taking as the beach house, but the idea of being isolated away from everyone and the world, made it that more endearing. It would be nice change for them to be able to be on their own.

As Rumald pulled up to a stop close to the cabin, Belle caught sight of the lake situated at the back of the cabin. Rumald had not had chance to turn the engine off, when Belle opened her car door and got out, rushing over to see the vastness of the lake. She walked down the side of the cabin and onto the decking surrounding the cabin, halting with her hands on the railing. The simplicity of it enthralled Belle the most. A small jetty with a ladder off the side into the water, floated in the middle of the lake. Wild bushes and flowers edged the shore of the lake, a natural beauty spot.

Belle had not heard Rumald approached behind her until he rested his chin onto her shoulder and encircled his arms around her waist. "Thought you'd like it."

"It's beautiful." Belle stated, removing her hands from the railing to rest on top of his hands.

"I'll bring you up here in the winter, when it's been snowing, and then you'll see how beautiful it is up here." He told her before kissing her cheek. "Come on, I'm hungry."

"What're we having?" Belle asked turning to face him after he removed himself from her, heading back to the front of the cabin.

"Mrs Potts made us a lasagne. Just got to warm it up." Rumald informed her over his shoulder. Pouting her lips at the thought, Belle shrugged her shoulders to herself and followed him to the back of the Cadillac.

She leant into the trunk and retrieved her bag, whilst Rumald waited with his hand on the trunk lid, balancing the cardboard box on his arm with his bag hanging from the same hand. With her bag at her side, Rumald shut the trunk and set off to the front door of the cabin. He pulled the keys out of his suit jacket pocket and selected the key to unlock the door. The door opened with ease and Rumald left it open for her, walking off through a doorway into what Belle presumed was the kitchen, as she could see the side of a fridge next to the doorway.

Stepping into the cabin, Belle shut the door behind her and traipsed her way down the short corridor, entering a large living area with a breakfast table and chairs placed by the opening to the kitchen. The large stone fireplace dominated the room with two armchairs either side of it and an enormous couch filled the gap between the armchairs.

"Here, let me take that to the bedroom." Rumald said taking her bag from her with ease and wandered off back down the corridor, ducking into one of the doors at the end of it. She turned back to the room and ambled into the room, her eyes went around the room, smiling at the photos of Rumald and Albert, which decorated the walls of the cabin. Without knowing it, her legs had taken her to the bookcase and Belle scanned the titles of the books, surprised to see many classics littered in with the different genres on his bookcase.

"Trust you to go straight to the books." He laughed coming into the room behind her.

Belle selected one of the books from one of the shelves and read the synopsis of the book. "This is bigger than your collection at home."

"Always have more time to read, when I'm here." Rumald said, standing in front of the sound system on the other side of the room. As she shelved the book, Belle looked over to where Rumald stood and was pleasantly surprised to see he had removed his suit jacket and waistcoat. Belle strolled over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, as a song started to filter out of the speakers.

Putting the cd case on top of the stereo, Rumald pivoted into Belle and took her hand into his, holding it up, as his other hand slid to her lower back. He began to sway them to the slow pace of the song, warmly smiling at her as he danced with her. Belle grinned at him and relaxed into his hold, laying her head onto his shoulder. Rumald was humming along to the song, whilst he brought her hand to his chest, holding it against himself. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sweet uninterrupted moment between them, blissful in his arms.

The song was nearing the end, when Rumald mumbled along with it. "Baby, you know that dreams are there for those that sleep. Life is for us to keep. And if I chose the one I'd like to help me through… I'd like to make it with you…"

Belle had an amused look on her face, as she lifted her head to look up at him, gazing at him while she waited expectantly for him to say something. Letting go of her, Rumald turned back to the stereo and skipped to the next song, which was just starting, and slipped pass her to go to the kitchen. Puzzled she observed him in the kitchen, grabbing an oven mitt so he could use it to open the oven to check on the lasagne. There were many moments, where Rumald would be exceedingly romantic with her, comfortable to show her his feelings. But then, it was like a sick reminder would kick him in the side of the head and he would revert to a coldness that left her lost for a reason to his sudden change. She shook her head at him and flopped onto the couch, pondering over what she was going to do with him.

Song: Bread – Make It with You


	46. Chapter 46

Stretching out on her side of the bed, Belle slung her arm over the top of her head, laying it across the pillow above her head, as she peeped through the corner of her eye at Rumald sleeping soundly beside her, turned on his side facing away from her. She raised her head to see the alarm clock on his side of the bed and was surprised to see it was nearly nine o'clock. Rumald was normally out of bed at this time in the morning. The latest she had known him to stay in bed was about eight o'clock and that was with begging. Rolling over to him, Belle heard his light snoring and watched his side rise and fall as he slept. Not wanting to disturb him, Belle slipped out of the bed and plucked Rumald's shirt off the chair he had discarded it.

She pulled his shirt on and buttoned it up, as she padded her way barefooted down the corridor to the kitchen. With a slight scowl, Belle went through the cabinets to find the cups and finally found them in the cabinet above the kettle. Placing it on the counter near the kettle, Belle checked the water level and turned it on, leaving it to wander over to the kitchen sink to look out on the scene outside the window. The table on the decking was littered with their empty wine glasses and bottle. She smiled at their evening spent outside after dinner, chatting about nonsense as the sun had set down behind the trees.

As the kettle began to make noises, signalling it was about to boil, Belle turned away from sight of outside and opened the jar of tea bags to throw one into her cup. When the kettle clicked, Belle poured the water into her cup and replaced the kettle before taking her cup through into the living room area of the cabin. She sat down onto the couch and raised her feet onto the coffee table, settling back into the cushions of the couch.

Dabbing her tea bag up and down into her cup, Belle's eyes wandered to the family photos on the walls. It surprised Belle the amount of family photos Rumald hung on the walls in his home, at the beach house and in his cabin. Mostly because he kept many things to himself, not wanting to share intimate details with anyone unless he trusted them. Many of the photos were mostly of Albert, which was expected because of how much he adored his son, but there were still photos of Rumald and Milah's wedding and their years together. Seeing the pictures of him with Milah, made her wonder if he kept them up to remind him of their good times or for Albert's sake as he grew up.

Belle sipped her tea, studying one of the framed photos on the mantelpiece, where someone had snapped a picture of Rumald with his arms around Milah, cutting into their wedding cake. The smile on his face was genuine. He had been so happy in that moment, his chin resting on her shoulder as his shoulder length hair draped partly over his face. The man in the photo was not the man she knew. He was young and innocent, and wore his heart on his sleeve. Her Rumald was hardened, keeping his heart guarded against being hurt again. As she took another sip of her tea, Belle pondered whether that was the reason, he had yet to tell her he loved her. Scared it would lead to heartbreak.

She rested the cup down onto her chest, holding it steady as her eyes shifted to another photo. Thinking back to when she was younger, she remembered family pictures decorating the house when her mother had been alive. But over the years, they had either been lost or forgotten in all the moving her father and she had done. It saddened her to think, she would never see any photos from when she was younger. Apart from the picture, she kept in her purse, tucked behind her credit cards, of herself and her mother. It was at times like these, she missed her mother the most.

"Hello, beautiful." Rumald mumbled at the side of her head, making her jump out of her thoughts, and kissed her cheek. "Have you had breakfast?"

"No." Belle replied, titling her head to see him standing behind her, stretching his arms above his head.

He moaned before dropping his arms and leant forward to brace himself onto the back of the couch. "What do you want? Some toast?"

"Okay." Belle said leaning her head back into cushions, looking up at him above her. Sleepily Rumald smiled and leaned down to tenderly kiss her lips, lingering a couple of seconds, until he went off into the kitchen. With her head lulled against the cushions, Belle closed her eyes and smiled at his sweetness. Sometimes it did not matter to her, he had not told her he loved her, but seeing photos of him with Milah stung her deep inside. Knowing he must have loved her a lot, to take her betrayal so deeply that it to changed him.

Raising her head up from the cushions, she opened her eyes and drank some of her tea as she crossed her feet on the coffee table. Sighing Belle thought back over last night, when she had gently probed him to find out what he had retrieved from Milah and what his ex-wife was talking about, when she had met him at his shop. Rumald had ignored her questions, working his thumb into the ball of her foot as they chatted outside, distracting her with the new rare books he had acquired in the shop. The idea he kept secrets from her never crossed her mind. With the knowledge, he was holding something back from her, niggled at her from the back of her mind.

As she drank some of her cooling tea, Rumald came around the couch and stepped over her legs to sit down on the couch beside her. He offered the plate of toast towards her, while he bit into the piece of toast in his other hand. Smiling at him, Belle took a slice from the plate and bit the corner out of it, as he placed the plate onto his lap.

"I must have been tired." Rumald said after swallowing his toast. "I can't remember the last time I slept in till about ten o'clock."

Belle drank her tea to wash her toast down and said. "You did seem peaceful."

"Who could blame me with you beside me?" He asked with a smile before he leant over to her and kissed her. She returned his smile, when he straightened away from her and ate some more of his toast. Eating her own, Belle's eyes wandered to the photos on the wall, only for a picture of Rumald and Milah to catch her gaze again.

"There's not many photos from before Milah on the walls." Belle said tentatively, trying not to dive straight in at the deep end.

His eyes went to the photos on the walls. "No… Well, there's not a lot from my childhood I care to remember." Rumald told her, taking her tea from her to sip from it and gave it back to her. "Not a very happy one."

"From what I understand, neither was your time with Milah, but you still have photos of her on the wall." She retorted to him, glad he had led her into a position where she could bring it up.

"As much as I wish to remove her from my life, like I have my father, she's always going to be a part of it." He said with a sadness in his tone. "She took so much from me, but gave me the brightest light in my life."

Belle raised an eyebrow at him, turning her head slightly to look at him. "Bae?"

He lowered his head and his gaze fell onto the plate of toast in his lap. "Yeah."

Sensing his sadness, she reached over to him and brushed her fingers over his sheen of stubble on his cheek. "Hey." Rumald twisted his head to look at her. "Don't be sad about it."

"But I am." He stated to her and then waved his hand towards the photos. "She robbed you of the man in those pictures. Instead you're with the cold version of him."

"Rumald, you're not cold." Belle informed him and sat forward to put her tea on the coffee table, closely followed by the plate from his lap.

"What would you call it then?" He asked, as Belle folded her leg underneath herself to face him and gathered his hands into hers.

Belle drew her lips into a smile and reached up to touch his cheek. "You're…" The sadness in his eyes made her pause. "You're still that man. You're just more cautious than that naïve young man, who came over here from Scotland on business."

"Why couldn't it have been you instead of her in New York?" Rumald asked, inclining himself towards her to rest his forehead against hers.

"Well…" She giggled at his question. "For a start, I wouldn't have been in that bar. I probably would've been in bed."

"What?" He frowned pulling back to see her face.

"I was probably about eight or nine at the time." Belle laughed and smiled at him.

"Oh." Rumald murmured.

Stroking her thumb over his cheek, she kissed him and then turned to reclaim her tea from the table. "Anyway, what are we going to do today?"

"Whatever you want." He said running a hand through his hair and scratched absently at the back of his head.

"What would you and Bae normally do?" Belle asked, as she shifted on the couch to sit back against the arm of the couch and lifted her legs into Rumald's lap.

"I always let him decide." Rumald scooped her legs up from his lap and moved back into the couch, getting more comfortable, before laying her legs back down. "He normally wants to either go out on the quad bikes, go fishing or he'll hang out in his room, playing that call of duty game."

She drank the last of her tea and wedged the cup between herself and the back of the couch. "Do you want to do any of that?"

"Not particularly." He told her, as his hand travelled up and down her shin.

"Rumald, you invited me here, did you not have an idea of what we were going to do this weekend?" She questioned, observing his hand as it went from her ankle to her knee. Her eyes were drawn to his face and her eyebrow rose at the knowing smirk he was giving her. The playfulness in his eyes made him look sexier than he already was, dressed only in the tight fitting boxers she had removed from his hips last night.

"I always have a plan, Miss French." Rumald said, as he switched from rubbing with his hand to trailing his fingers up her leg.

"And what would that be, Mr Gold?" She shivered, when his fingers worked their way under the tails of his shirt she was wearing.

His smirk widened. "All will become apparent later. But for now," Rumald quickly threw her leg over his head, so he was now between her legs, and twisted to face her, plucking the cup from beside her to drop onto the floor. "I want to take advantage of having you all to myself."

She licked her lips at the anticipation of him and sucked in a deep breath, when his lips softly met hers. Against her lips, Belle could feel him smiling, whilst his shirt became looser around her. A groan erupted from her, when his warm hands caressed over her stomach, up her sides to slide underneath her, drawing her up to press against his bare chest. Her hands clasped his face while one of his hands trailed down her back to cup her backside.

After carrying her off to bed and having their way with each other, Belle had fallen asleep resting against Rumald's chest. When she woke up, she found herself alone with a cool breeze from the open window, tickling over her bare back. She raised her head off his pillow and cast her gaze around the room, and turned her head back to look at the clock on his bedside. Belle was surprised to see it was passed three o'clock in the afternoon. Swinging her legs out of the bed, she slipped off the bed to delve into her bag and put on her sweatpants and hoodie. She hugged herself as she left the bedroom, padding down the corridor she glanced briefly into the kitchen to see he was not there and carried on into the living area to find he was not there either.

Her brow furrowed whilst she crossed the room to the glass doors that led outside, spotting Rumald on the decking through the windowpanes in the door. Belle watched him sitting in one of the wooden chairs; his feet were crossed on top of the table, bobbing in time to the rhythm of whatever he was listening to through his earphones, as he read the book in his hands. If she could spend the rest of her life, watching him in that moment, she would be the happiest woman alive. As much as she did not know the young man he was with Milah, there were times she could see him when Rumald was not aware she was watching.

Belle took a breath and went through the doors, and padded her way over to him, leaving the door open behind her. Laying her arms around his shoulders, Belle smirked at him jumping and tugged one of his earphones out of his ear.

"It's about time I got my own back, for all the times you've made me jump." Belle crooned into his ear.

Rumald let his book drop to lay into his lap and laid a hand on top of where her arms crossed, whilst turning the corner of the page in his book to mark it. "I'm still catching up with you, for the jump you gave me when you walked into me."

"Outside my father's shop?" She questioned with her cheek pressed against his.

"Yep." He answered flicking his book shut and pulled the other earbud out of his ear.

Belle circled around him and sat onto his lap after he removed his book from lap and dropped his legs from the table, foreseeing what she was going to do. "I didn't make you jump. If I remember right, you wanted to point me in the direction of the opticians."

"I'm good at controlling my reactions." He shared with her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Not all reactions." She countered wiggling in his lap, feeling his semi hard state under butt.

Rumald smiled at her. "He has a mind of his own."

Belle giggled and tickled the hair at the back of his neck. "So much for doing something with our day. I've slept most of it."

"It's not like we can't come back here." He said to her, readjusting himself in the seat. "Though next time, Bae will probably want to come. He wasn't happy that he couldn't come this time."

"You said he was camping with the Nolans." Belle stated to him and asked. "Why would he be bothered?"

His head lazed back, resting against the chair, as he gazed at Belle and studied her. Being under his scrutinising gaze, Belle felt uncomfortable for the first time in a long time. A smile crept across his face. As she titled her head, returning the studious look he was giving her, while his hand came up to brush the backs of his fingers against her cheek.

"This wasn't a last minute decision to get us away from everyone." Rumald confessed to her.

Belle lifted one of her eyebrows at him. "Okay…"

"I've been…" He pursed his lips in thought and carried on, as his fingers dug into her sweatpants. "Planning to take you away for a month."

"Planning? You didn't need to plan to take me away. I'd go anywhere with you, Rumald." Belle informed him, sitting back away from him, which caused her arms to slide down the front of his bare chest.

"Oh, I know that, sweetheart." He told her, hooking some of her hair behind her ear for her.

Scrunching her eyebrows together, Belle asked. "So, what were you planning?"

Rumald angled his head to one side and a softness came over his face. "I think whatever I had planned doesn't matter anymore, since we're now having this conversation."

"I'm not sure what conversation we're having." Belle said to him crossing her arms over her chest, unsure whether she was protecting herself or reassuring her uncertainty. Clasping at her hips, Rumald guided her to get out of his lap and waited for her to get her balance before he stood up from his chair. She let him steer her into a chair and he kissed the top of her head, disappearing behind her and into the cabin.

Glancing over her shoulder to the cabin, Belle could not see him through the windows as she slipped her hands into the pouch of her hoodie. She did not like feeling insecure as she did sitting on his decking. Her childhood had been spent feeling unsure what was happening and whether she would have a home to return to after coming home from school. Trying to steady her nerves and an old demon, Belle drew in a deep breath and moved her gaze over to the lake. The calmness of the water reminded her of the times, she had spent evenings lying in a bath, the water lapping at her chin, as she mourned another home they had fled.

A glass was placed onto the table in front of her, bringing her attention to the table, as Rumald sat down into the chair near her, dressed in a black shirt and blue jeans. He was gazing at her, whilst he poured the white wine into her glass. As she collected the glass of wine from the table, while he poured himself some, Belle noticed he had combed his hair removing the tousled look.

Belle sipped the wine in her glass, pleasantly surprised to realise it was the wine from their first date. "I love this wine. You said we had drank it all."

"I've been keeping one back for a special occasion." He advised her, sitting back into his chair.

"And this is a special occasion?" She asked him, holding her glass pose ready to take a drink from it.

"Indeed, if it goes to plan." Rumald replied to her, as he crossed his legs and put his free hand on top of his knee.

Belle shook her head at him, as she said. "You keep saying plan. What plan?"

He pressed his lips in thought at her question. A few seconds went by before he put his glass onto the table and dragged his chair to face her. "It's not always been easy for us these pass nine months." Rumald began to say to her. "I know it's not been easy loving me."

"But things are good now." She stated, worrying where the conversation was going.

"Yes, they are." He squeezed her fingers to reassure her. "And I want it to stay that way, but I want more."

"More?" Belle repeated to him.

Rumald gazed down at their hands and then up to Belle's face, allowing her to recognise the uncertainty in his eyes. "I love you."

Her eyes closed after he said it. The drum in her chest pounded out a heavy beat. Those three words meant so much to Belle. The heaviness she had carried on her shoulders, since she had told him she loved him, lifted in that instance. She could feel him clenching at her hand, pleading for her to say something, anything, to him. There was nothing else; she could think of to say, other than to reciprocate those three words. They did not feel adequate to convey to him how she felt about him. They were the only words, which kept coming to mind.

"Belle, are you…" Rumald was saying, as Belle interrupted him by grabbing hold of his face with both her hands and kissed him as hard as she could.

She rested her forehead against his own, telling him. "I love you too."

Rumald chuckled, as his hands came up to cup her face. "I wanted to tell you since Bae's birthday, but it never felt the right time."

"Rumald." Belle muttered to him, stroking her thumb over his cheek, touched by his confession. His hand left her face at the same time his forehead pulled away from hers, inclining himself to shove his hand into his pocket. With her hands on his knees, Belle bit her lip at the joy of him telling her he loved her, as he brought his hand out of his pocket with a small black box in his hand.

"I was going to cook dinner and then do this, but I can't think of a better time to do this." Rumald explained to her, cradling the small velvet box in the palm of his hand. She frowned down at the box and wondered when she was going to wake up from this dream. Her feelings swamped her, everything was happening too fast for her to get her head around it. It was overwhelming to hear him confess his love for her, but now a… ring box.

He licked his lips nervously and said. "After Milah left me for Killian, I vowed to never let anyone get into a position, where they could hurt Bae and me." Rumald flashed a smile at her. "Then, like I told you, my exception to the rule came into my life and changed everything."

Her emotions got the better of her with her eyes welling with tears, as he continued. "It wasn't just the vow I had made to myself that made me cold. I had become an enemy of love, but you," Rumald touched her hand. "You broke down my walls and showed me it was okay to love again."

"Oh… Rumald." She whispered under her breath, just as the first tear fell down her cheek.

"And I don't want to lose that, Belle." He told her earnestly. "I nearly lost you once because I was stupid and weak, and I won't let it happen again." Rumald opened the ring box, revealing an elegant diamond ring. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Belle. Will you, please, marry me?"


	47. Chapter 47

(Towards the end of the chapter, rating becomes M)

The little black velvet ring box sat screaming at her from the wooden table in front of her. The ring glistened in the early evening sunshine, a tempting wink to entice her to put the ring on her ring finger. Her lip was becoming sore, as her front teeth dug into the soft sensitive skin. She had sat there with the ring in front of her for quite a while, after Rumald had left her to make dinner, fed up of nervously waiting for her to answer his question. The longer she stared at it, the more she became torn between shoving the ring onto her finger and feeling something was off about the situation.

The little girl inside of Belle, who had dreamt of this moment, wanted to slip the diamond ring onto her finger. Rumald was everything she had ever wanted. He was kind, loving and not afraid to argue with her, even if it was over which Ben and Jerry flavour was the best. Rumald was also secure, the total opposite of her father. They would not be moving from one house to another, unless they needed more room or wanted to move away from Storybrooke. Not because of bad debts and threats. Rumald had become her crutch, but he had also freed her from the cage her father had entrapped her, allowing her to put herself first before anyone else.

Nevertheless, as she gazed at the small velvet box, the devil on her shoulder whispered into her ear. The dark whisper she heard, questioned everything. What had changed? After all these months, why confess his feelings and ask her to marry him? Did something happen? Is that why Milah was at his shop? Why did she care what Rumald was doing? What did he get from her? The ring? Something else?

Belle groaned at the questions and covered her face with her hands, hanging her head down with the weight of the questions. The torturous questions swarmed around inside her head, like sharks circling its prey, waiting for the weak moment to attack. They would not have had any fuel, if it were not for the secret with Milah and it being so out of character for Rumald, going from one extreme to the other. Going from guarding his feelings to letting the floodgates open, revealing his feelings and asking her to marry him. She could feel something was behind the sudden change.

Lowering her hands from her face, Belle's eyes instantly went to the ring box on the table, where it cried out to her. She reached her out to it and pressed the lid of the box shut, shushing its constant scream for attention. With it now silent, Belle hoped it would allow her to quieten the devil on her shoulder, so she could think clearly.

As she grabbed her wine glass from the table, she heard Rumald say behind her. "Is that your answer?"

"No." Belle said, as Rumald slid between the chairs and placed two plates onto the table.

"Do you have answer then?" Rumald asked picking up the ring box between his thumb and forefinger, moving it to the other side of the table, his disgust with it showed on his face.

"I don't know what I'm thinking at the minute." Belle told him and scooted her chair closer to the table, collecting the fork and knife from her plate.

Rumald sliced up the chicken breast on his plate, as he said. "If you don't know what the answer is, then I would say the answer is no."

She dropped her fork onto her plate with a clatter and grabbed his wrist. "No, the answer is not no. Never." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm overwhelmed with it all. You blew me away by telling me you love me and then you…" Belle gestured to the ring box. "Get that out and I don't know what to think."

"You had to know I love you." He said turning his head to look at her.

"Hearing it means more than feeling it." Belle told him softly, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand.

"Are you saying, because I haven't told you I love you before today, you're saying no to me?" Rumald asked sternly, the hurt in his eyes becoming fiery as he spoke to her.

She firmly squeezed his wrist, telling him. "I haven't said no."

"And you haven't said yes, either." Rumald snapped back at her.

"Rumald," Belle fought the frown off her brow and forced a smile at him, trying to stop her temper getting the better of her. "Just give me some time to think about it, okay?" She implored him, reaching up from his wrist to touch his face. At first, he was reluctant but as the fire eased from his eyes, Rumald turned his face into her touch and breathed a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. A genuine smile came over her face, loving how her simple touch could soothe the beast within him.

"Come on," She removed her hand from his face, drawing him to look at her. "Let's eat before this gets cold."

As Belle picked up her fork again, it was Rumald's turn to stop her by taking hold of her wrist. "If I'm not getting an answer today, then how about you move in with Bae and me?"

"Rumald, I don't…" She began to say, but stopped when he squeezed her arm saying. "It might help your decision. Anyway, you're practically living there, so what difference would it make if you moved your things into my house?"

His plead reminded her of when Gaston had asked her to move out of the dorms and into his apartment. A bittersweet memory of excitement and nervousness, which felt like a lifetime ago. Except this time, Rumald's plead was more heartfelt than Gaston's, with a hint of begging hidden in his voice. Desperate for a form of commitment from her. It felt strange to see him exposed, anxious for her to guarantee him there was going to be future for them. She knew the look he wore well. It haunted her whenever she thought about her father.

"Okay." Belle answered with a small smile. Before she knew it, Rumald had launched himself up and out of his chair and descended his lips onto hers, cradling her head back in his hands for access to her lips. The position was uncomfortable, but the assault of his lips was so pleasurable it made her forget all about it. She could taste the whiskey in his mouth, as he dipped his tongue into her mouth, mixing the sweetness of her wine with the oaky taste of the whiskey.

"I'll take that for now." He whispered against her lips, while his fingers clutched at her hair.

Belle clutched her eyes shut, astounded by his candidness, a foreign territory for her to explore with him. His fingers freed her hair and lightly ran down the nape of her neck, sending a shudder down her spine. She felt lonesome after he had withdrew himself from her and sat back down in his chair. Belle gazed over at him and smiled, loving the smug look on his face that pulled at the corner of his eyes. She had seen that smile on so many of the photos inside, mostly when he was in pictures with Albert.

They ate and chatted about what things Belle wanted to bring over to the house. After finishing their dinner, Rumald had cleared the table of their plates and the ring box, shoving it into his jeans, and had taken the plates inside. She lifted her feet onto the other chair next to her, enjoying the natural beauty of the lake as she drank from her wine glass. A song started to play out from the cabin behind her, filtering out through the patio doors. She did not know the song, but it did sound familiar to her. Belle scrunched her brow in thought, trying to place where she had heard the song, when Rumald's hand appeared in front of her.

"Care to dance, Miss French?" He asked in a sultry tone.

Belle giggled at him. "You can't be serious?"

"Very much so." Rumald replied plucking her hand out of her lap and pulled her out of the chair, taking her glass of wine from her to put on the table.

"Rumald, look at me." She ordered him, as he dragged her away from the table. "I'm not dressed for dancing."

As he turned, he entangled her into his arms and swayed her side to side, holding her hand up to his lips to kiss her fingers. "So beautiful."

"Shut up." Belle laughed hiding her face into his chest.

"You're always beautiful to me. No matter what you're wearing." Rumald admitted to her, titling her head back up by touching his fingers under her chin. Her eyes searched his, sure that he was lying to her, but all she saw was truth in his eyes, enchanting her and scaring her at the same time. He moved them on the spot, round in a circle, as the music danced around them.

Belle stared into his eyes, captivated by how handsome he looked, as she told. "For many reasons, I'm so glad Milah left you."

"I'm going to take that in a good way." He chuckled with a bemused look on his face.

"We wouldn't be here, if she hadn't done what she did." She said stroking her fingers over the back of his neck, playing with his hair.

"Hmm… Suppose." He mumbled. "Let's not talk about her. This weekend is about us."

As she was saying okay, Rumald impulsively spun her out away from him, causing her to scream and laugh at the same time. He smiled playfully and tugged her back towards him, securely sweeping her up into his arms to twirl them quickly around in time with the music. Belle laughed wrapping her arms around his neck and titled her head back to let her hair fall loose behind her, trailing to the side with the speed Rumald twirled them.

The song slowed and Rumald followed the tempo, slowing them to a steady sway, as he said. "I love you, Belle."

"And I love you." Belle told him, stroking her hand down the side of his face. Deliberately Rumald bent his head down to her and captured her lips, using his hands on her back to mould her against his body. She could feel the heat of his body through his shirt and her thick hoodie. The intensity of their kiss mixed with the heat of his body, pricked the small hairs on the back of Belle's neck.

Belle's gasp was smothered by Rumald's mouth, when his hand found its way under her hoodie and clawed at the bare skin of her lower back. The sweet pain from his nails on her skin, triggered her to arch away from his touch and rise onto her tiptoes. His other hand soon joined his other hand under her hoodie, reaching further up her back to drag his fingertips down the middle of her back. This time a groan came from Rumald.

She opened her eyes in wonder, as he parted his lips from hers to say. "I'd been trying to work out, if you were wearing a bra."

"No panties either." Belle told him with a wicked smile. His growl was deep, whilst he buried his head into the nape of her neck, sucking at her sensitive skin. The delightful pain he inflicted made her close her eyes. As her hands worked their way into his hair, Rumald's hands clutched at the back of her legs and easily lifted her off the decking, bringing her legs up to encircle his waist. The change in position put Belle above him, giving him more access to her neck.

Belle had not realised he had walked them over to the table until she felt the chair brush her leg, as they went pass it. He bent them over and placed Belle down on top of the table, moving from her neck to kiss her lips. Their tongues played whilst Rumald shoved his hands back under her hoodie, exposing her lower back to the cool air of the evening. As he caressed her back, sliding his hands fierily over her skin, Belle worked her way through the buttons of his shirt and tugged it out of his jeans. Rumald removed his shirt quickly and flung it off to the side, returning his hands under her hoodie before she could miss them.

Needing to taste him, Belle licked and kissed at his chest, feeling her hands down his chest to his stomach, gingerly moving to his sides and then to his lower back. Sweetly he kissed the top of her head, while his fingers gathered up the hem of her hoodie and pulled it up and over her head. Her hair fell to cover her face, as she returned to lap up the taste of his skin. He brushed her hair back over her shoulders and out of her face, gazing down to watch her. When her fingers traced over a sensitive spot on his side, Rumald clasped her face to hold her back and stepped out of her touch.

Seductively Belle smiled up at him and trailed a finger down the middle of his bare chest. "Ticklish, Mr Gold?"

"You know bloody well that's ticklish." He declared to her, his tone to anyone else would have been threatening, but not to her.

"Not me." She defended, faking her disbelief at his accusation. "I know nothing about you being ticklish."

Rumald glared at her, as his hands moved from her face to brace him down onto the table, bringing their faces inches away from each other. "What have I told you about teasing me?"

"As I said, Mr Gold, I know nothing." Belle grinned at him and it widened when his head lulled forward to rest against her.

"Ignorance is not a defence…" Rumald trailed off, clenching his eyes shut, before he said. "Miss French." As he said Miss French, he shoved her to lie onto the table and ripped her sweatpants down her legs, dropping them to the decking. Belle sucked in a deep breath, as the cool evening air hit the warmth of her genitalia. Her next breath was just as deep, trying to control herself, while Rumald lowered himself to cover her, the material of his jeans brushed against her.

He smiled evilly at the sensations that showed on Belle's face. "I've told you not to tease me."

"You don't play" Belle stopped midsentence, when Rumald grinded his jeans against her. "Fair!"

"Dearie," Rumald purred, as he traced the edge of nose down her chest to the valley between her breasts, dotting kisses in his travels. "You're with the wrong beast, if you want fair."

"I just want you." She said under her breath, threading her fingers into his short hair. He titled his head to see her, his stubble was rough against the soft skin of her stomach. Grabbing hold of her arm, Rumald yanked her up into a sitting position and held her to search for something in her eyes before he kissed her, hard and needing. Just as he did earlier, he scooped up her legs and lifted her off the table. Her legs instinctively wrapped around him, clutching against him, as Rumald carried her into the cabin.

Song they dance to: Glenn Lewis – Fall Again


	48. Chapter 48

They had spent the morning lazing in bed, pillow talking about nothing important, until about midday when they had decided to pack up and head back to Storybrooke. Nothing more had been said about his proposal and Belle had not seen the ring box since he had cleared the dinner plates from the table. She was thankful; he had not pushed the subject and was allowing her the time to think about it. They were carrying on as though nothing had changed, except Rumald was now happily telling her every five minutes how much he loved her. To some people, it would probably grate their nerves, but Belle welcomed the change.

The car rocked as Rumald pulled into his driveway, parking the car behind Albert's Camaro in the driveway. They climbed out of the car and met at the trunk of the car. Rumald smiled at her, as he opened the trunk and handed her bag to her before snatching his own out of the trunk, slamming the lid down on the trunk. Together they walked up to the house and climbed the steps onto the porch. Rumald jangled his keys between his hands, selecting the key he wanted, and unlocked the front door.

As they entered the house, feet pounded down the stairs and Albert appeared at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes wide with excitement. "And!"

"And what?" Belle asked dumping her bag near the coat stand.

"And Belle is moving in." Rumald informed his son, dropping his bag beside Belle's on the floor.

"So, we're engaged?" Albert questioned, snooping with his eyes to see Belle's hand.

"No, we're not engaged." Rumald mumbled walking off to the kitchen.

Albert frowned and twisted his head to see Rumald at the fridge. "We're not?"

"Why are we talking as though I'm not here? Or I can't hear you?" Belle asked, shrugging off her jacket to hang with the other coats.

"Did you stick to the plan?" Albert asked following his father into the kitchen and stood on the opposite side the kitchen island, as Rumald twisted a lid off a bottle of beer.

"No, I didn't stick to the plan." Rumald resentfully told his son and took a swig his beer.

"I am here." Belle said coming into the kitchen.

Albert pointed his finger at Rumald over the kitchen island. "I told you, you needed to stick to the plan."

"Bae, I don't want to hear it." He told his son, crossing to the patio doors to open both of them, clutching his bottle of beer in his hand.

"Hi Belle, did you enjoy your weekend away with dad?" Belle mimicked Albert, as she went over to the fridge to retrieve a bottle of water out of it, and answered her own question. "Yes, Bae. I had a really good time with your father. Thank you for asking."

Albert frowned at her. "What?"

"Nothing." Belle shook her head at him and followed Rumald out onto the patio to join him. Pulling out the chair nearest to him, she moved it as close as she could to him and sat down beside him, smiling at him as he placed his arm over the back of her chair. She unscrewed the lid from her bottle of water and drank from it, as Albert came out onto the patio.

"So… Things are okay?" Albert asked hesitantly.

Rumald nodded his head. "Don't worry. Everything is alright."

"But she said no?" He asked again, pointing between them.

"I didn't say no." Belle informed him, placing her bottle onto the table near Rumald's beer.

"You didn't say yes, either." Rumald mumbled beside her, keeping his voice low for only her to hear.

"What does this mean then?" Albert questioned them, as he clasped the back of a chair.

Taking a heavy breath through her nose, Belle stood up from her chair and went to Albert's side, taking one of his hands from the chair to hold in her hands. "At the minute, it just means everything is as it was. Your father and I are together no matter what happens. We love each other, whether we're married or not." Belle smiled at him and stroked some of his hair back off his face, while her eyes momentarily darted to the scar on his forehead. "I'm not going anywhere, Bae. You don't need to worry about anything."

"Promise?" He asked earnestly, showing the worry in his eyes.

"I promise you." She cupped his face, stroking her thumb over his cheek.

"Go and kill something on your game." Rumald instructed his son, placing his beer back on the table after taking a sip from it.

Albert hugged and kissed Belle's cheek before running off into the house, distantly saying. "Later!"

Belle chuckled at Albert and shook her head, retaking her seat beside Rumald. As she reached for her bottle of water on the table, Rumald's phone started to ring in his pocket. Groaning he removed it from his pocket and glanced at the caller id on the screen, which he grumbled at and tossed onto the table. Curious Belle peered at his phone on the table and saw Milah's name on the screen.

"I'm not answering that." Rumald told her and snatched his beer off the table. "There's no way that's important."

"Just press the lock button and it'll send her to voicemail." Belle instructed him, which he did and flicked the switch on the side of his phone, putting his phone into silent mode.

As Belle drank from her bottle of water, she caught Rumald looking at her through the corner of her eye. Swallowing the water in her mouth, she wiped at her chin and put the bottle back on the table. His gaze held her, making her self-conscious as he continued to stare at her. She checked herself, making sure she had not dribbled some water down onto her top, as she wiped at her chin again.

"What?" Belle asked, still looking down at herself.

"Nothing." Rumald said reaching for his beer. "I just love the way you are with Bae. I can't wait for you to be mother."

Belle gave him a pointed look. "First it's I love you. Then it's let's get married. Now you're proposing children."

"I told you that I wanted more." He reminded her before swigging from his bottle.

"In that order?" She joked.

Rumald looked her dead in the eye. "I don't care what order they come in, as long as I'm with you."

"Hmm… Mr Gold," Belle leaned towards him. "If only we were alone, we could get some more practise in making these children." She informed him and kissed him. His hand snaked up and into her hair at the back of head, holding her steady as he controlled their kiss. Belle braced her hands onto his thigh, supporting herself, while they kissed.

"Whoa!" Albert cried from the doorway, causing them to pull away to look at him. "Mum's on the phone for you, dad."

"Really!" Rumald dropped his hands to his sides and rolled his eyes, as he stood up to take the phone from Albert. "What?"

Albert briefly widened his eyes at Belle, strolling over to take his father's chair, as Rumald paced back and forth listening to whatever Milah was telling him. Belle scowled watching Albert pick up his father's beer and held the bottle under his nose to smell it.

"Are you serious? I am not coming over there! This is not my problem! If you need money, call your mother!" Rumald exclaimed throwing his free hand into the air. Distracted by Rumald's outburst, Belle looked back to Albert finding him with the beer held to his lips about to take a drink. She slapped his leg and gestured for him to put the beer back down.

Rumald let out a long sigh and placed his hand on top of his head. "I don't believe this."

Belle raised an eyebrow and nudged Albert. "What did we miss?"

"No idea. She told me to give the phone to dad." Albert shrugged his shoulders at her.

"Why?" Rumald asked dropping his hand from his head, slapping it against his leg.

They both watched Rumald pace back and forth again; his eyes were closed as he listened to Milah and unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt. Belle creased her forehead as she watched him. The change in his demeanour, when he spoke to Milah, always astounded her. When he was with Belle, he was so laid back and relaxed, but any mention of Milah and his shoulders would stiffen, his jaw would tighten and his voice would change, every word dripped with annoyance.

"I'll tell you what," Rumald stopped opening his eyes and pointed his finger randomly down at the ground. "You can stop troubling me with your problems. If you don't remember, dearie, I am not your husband. Let Killian deal with this. It's nothing to do with me."

Before Rumald hung up the phone, Milah's voice raised loud enough for them to hear it and shouted her nickname for Rumald down the phone. Shaking his head, Rumald yanked a chair out from the table and dropped heavily into it, tossing Albert's phone onto the table. He grasped his head in his hands and leant onto the table, supporting himself with his elbows. Knowing Rumald may start ranting about Milah, Belle collected Albert's phone from the table and handed it to him, and gestured for him to go inside. Reluctantly Albert took his phone from Belle and did as she requested, looking at his father as he walked pass and went into the house.

Rumald dropped his hands from his face and propped himself onto his elbow to grab his beer from the other side of the table. "She drives me insane."

"I know." Belle said crossing her legs and pulled her skirt down to her knee.

"What does she think I am? A puppet?" He snapped, clutching his bottle of beer between his hands. Belle remained silent, knowing he was not asking the question for her to answer. Twisting the bottle inside his hands, Rumald grumbled under his breath before smacking the bottom of the bottle against the top of the table. Normally the small outburst would have shocked her, but she had foreseen it coming with his temper brewing.

"After eleven years, she still treats me as though I'm under her thumb." Rumald stated before he chugged down his beer. When he finished his drink, Belle nearly missed the bottle fly pass her and hit the garage wall, smashing against the brickwork. She slowly looked round to see the wall stained with the remnants of the beer and the glass of the bottle scattered over the floor.

"Rumald, don't let her get to you." Belle ordered, as she turned her head back round to face him. To begin with, he looked at her with daggers and then softened the longer they held each other's eyes. His shoulders began to ease, the beast within him settled back down, allowing Belle's Rumald to retake control.

He took an exaggerated breath and cast his gaze down onto the table, as he said. "You know, I would've normally lost it by now."

"I know." Belle said pushing herself up for her chair and went over to him. Placing her hand on his shoulder was enough for him to sit back into his chair, allowing her to sit down into his lap and wrap her arms around his neck. She held him as he clung to her, clutching fistfuls of her blouse. Rumald buried his face into her chest, breathing deeply into her blouse, his warm breath filtered through her blouse and over her skin.


	49. Chapter 49

She was functioning on less sleep than she was used to, as Belle parked in the school's parking lot and retrieved her bag from the passenger seat. Their night had been spent with Rumald seesawing between moaning and ranting about Milah, and his annoyance had followed him into his sleep, tossing and grumbling in his sleep. Belle had been tempted in the middle of the night to move to the guest bedroom, but selfishly needed him beside her so she could sleep, even if his elbow kept finding her side. As she crossed the parking lot and yawned into the back of her hand, she wished she had not been selfish and had switched rooms. At least then, she would not feel like a zombie.

With ease, Belle negotiated the corridors of the school to the library and entered to find some students sat around the study tables and at the computers at the back of the room. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, as she went behind the circulation desk and slipped into the office to see it was just after two.

"Hi Belle." The young woman greeted from behind the desk, while Belle went to the white board to see the schedule. "I booked your study room as you requested."

"I didn't realise there was a class using the library this afternoon." Belle admitted to the young woman, tracing her finger along the schedule for Monday on the white board.

"Mrs Nolan came in this morning and asked if we had a free space." The other woman shrugged her shoulders, ticking at the sheet in front of her as she checked with another list beside it on the desk.

"Nice to see the library's being used." Belle commented turning away from the board to drop her bag into a chair in front of the desk and pocketed her phone. "Jess, have you gone through the new catalogue yet?"

Jess waved the piece of paper, she had been checking, through the air. "Yep, doing it now."

"Are they out on the shelves yet?" Belle asked removing her jacket to lay over the back of the chair.

"Did that an hour ago. Hence checking my list with the stock list." Jess beamed at Belle, while ticking some more off the list.

Belle smiled at the younger woman. "Too efficient for me."

"There's some coffee brewing, you look like you could do with some." Jess gestured towards the small kitchenette in the corner of the room.

"I could do with an IV of it." Belle chuckled at her idea, as she moved over to the coffee pot and poured some coffee into a cup. Sipping at the hot black liquid, Belle ambled out of the office and wandered around the library, checking everything was tidy and in its place. It made her laugh when she neared some students, how their conversation ceased until she had walked pass, much like when she had been a student and teachers had walked by. She was proud of herself and her staff, noting how organised the library was and paused to check out a new display they had discussed the previous week. Jess had spent a lot of time on it, Belle could tell by the attention to detail.

Turning down an aisle, Belle smiled seeing Mary-Margaret talking with two of her students, pointing into the book they held between them. She drank some more of her coffee, as she approached behind the two students, intrigued by what they were discussing. Before Belle had chance to find out, Mary-Margaret had spotted her and had ushered the two girls back to their tables. Mary-Margaret closed the gap between them, almost spilling Belle's coffee when she grabbed hold of Belle's forearms.

"Well?" Mary-Margaret questioned, her eyes searching Belle's hands.

Belle rolled her eyes. "Who doesn't know?"

"Did you say yes?" Mary-Margaret probed, frowning down at Belle's empty ring finger.

"I haven't said anything yet." Belle informed her and drank from her coffee.

"What? Really?" Mary-Margaret said flabbergasted. "When Al told us, we were more than sure you'd say yes. I mean, you two are inseparable."

Belle leant onto the shelving beside them and played with the handle of her coffee cup, as she said to Mary-Margaret. "It just didn't feel right. Like something pushed him into it. Maybe if I didn't know him as well as I do, I would have screamed yes at him. God knows I want to, but… I don't know."

"If you want to say yes, isn't that what matters?" Mary-Margaret asked, rubbing her hand up and down Belle's upper arm.

"It should, but there was so much to take in all at once." Belle confessed before she finished her coffee and placed the cup onto a shelf.

Mary-Margaret smiled and chuckled at Belle. "How's he taking it?"

"He's okay with it at the minute." Belle answered, and then added. "Rumald's distracted by wanting to move my things into his house."

"You're moving in?" Mary-Margaret asked with a baffled look on her face. "You turned him down and you're moving in?"

"I haven't turned him down!" Belle said forcefully, inwardly groaning at the reaction everyone seemed to be sharing. There was one thing Belle could say about Storybrooke, the grapevine of gossip was working well. Nearly everyone, she had bumped into that morning, had asked her whether she had said yes or no. The idea of people probing Rumald for the information, made her worry about what sort of mood he would be in when she went to his house… when she went home.

Mary-Margaret glanced over her shoulder, when she heard her students giggling and gave them a pointed look, which quietened them and made them get back to work. As Mary-Margaret turned her head back to look at Belle, Belle pinched the bridge of her nose, counting to ten in her head to calm her temper.

"Hey, change of subject!" Mary-Margaret beamed with a smile and patted Belle's forearm. "The girls and I were talking about a couple's night out. What do you think?"

"I don't see why not, as long as Ruby gets a date. Just make it a Saturday night, and then I'll know Rumald can definitely go." Belle said dropping her hand from her face.

Mary-Margaret excitedly bounced from foot to foot. "First couple's night out!"

"How much coffee have you had today? Or have you been snorting sugar? 'Cause I could do with some myself." Belle joked collecting her empty cup from the shelf and stepped around Mary-Margaret.

"I've moved onto snorting coffee." Mary-Margaret replied over Belle's shoulder. Belle rolled her eyes and laughed at her friend, shaking her head as she headed over to the circulation desk. Her phone beeped and vibrated against her leg, as Belle entered the office and returned her cup to the kitchenette. She slid her phone out of her pocket and checked to see her it was nearly time for her tutoring session. Grabbing her bag and jacket, Belle carried them with her back into the library and unlocked her phone to read the message.

' _I've dropped some empty boxes into your apartment for you. Love you.'_

The corner of her lip turned up into half a smile, a calmness settled over her after she read his text. They had reluctantly parted when he had dropped her off at the library, listening to Albert's complaints from the back seat of the car, as they had kissed in the front seat. She giggled whilst she replied to his message, thanking him and told him she loved him too, as Belle shouldered the door to the study room open.

Another message came through. Belle slung her bag onto the table and laid her jacket on top of it, sliding her thumb over the screen of her phone to unlock it again. _'If you're staying over the house tonight, do you want me to grab some of your clothes?'_ Pondering his question, Belle tapped to call his number and held the phone to her ear, waiting for Rumald to answer.

Jess hurried into the room and touched Belle's shoulder. "Belle, you need to get to the front office."

"What? Why?" Belle frowned at Jess, as Rumald answered the phone, saying hello to her. "Hang on, Rumald."

Rumald said okay into her ear, as Jess gestured for Belle to come with her. "I don't know, they're just asking for you. Sounds urgent."

"Okay, I'll be right there." Belle followed Jess out of the room, telling her. "When Thomas gets here, just tell him to wait in there for me."

Jess nodded her head in acknowledgement to Belle, as Belle quickened her pace to leave the library and headed to the front office, finally greeting Rumald whilst she went through the library doors. "Hey, you. Sorry about that. Jess says the front office wants me for something."

"Ah, right." Rumald sounded distracted.

"Yeah, if you could grab me some things, it would save me a job today." Belle told him. "I've got a free afternoon on Wednesday, so I'll get Ruby to help me pack some things up then and we can bring them over at the weekend or whenever. If you can grab some of my blouses and skirts, I would greatly appreciate that."

"Whatever you want, sweetheart." He mumbled down the phone, his mind seemed preoccupied as he spoke to her.

Belle knitted her eyebrows together, intrigued by what he was doing. "What are you doing? You sound distracted."

"Well…" He murmured and then chuckled. "I'm just… you know, getting you some of your clothes."

"Okay, there's a bag under my bed I think, just sling whatever in there." She instructed him, sweeping a lose bit of hair behind her ear.

"I would… But…" Rumald trailed off.

She stopped in the corridor. "Okay, what are you doing?"

There was an evil laugh down the phone before Rumald answered her. "Miss French, you've been holding out on me."

"What?" Belle looked either way down the corridor, conscious of the fact she was standing in the middle of the school with her cheeks reddening at his sultry tone.

"I was grabbing you some nightwear and I found this… nightie." His brogue purred down the phone to her. Her brow furrowed in thought, mentally going through her nightwear draw to find the nightie in question. Most of her nighties he had seen. A lot of them were long thin t-shirts and spaghetti strap silk nighties. Realisation dawned when she mentally emptied her draw and remembered the nightie, which was hidden at the back of her draw and forgotten.

The girls had arranged a day shopping, a chance to get away from their men and the kids, and the diner. It had started out innocent enough, jeans bought here, new blouses there, until Ruby and Ashley had decided Mary-Margaret needed to spice things up with David. They had dragged Mary-Margaret into a lingerie store, insisting they knew exactly what to buy the innocent school teacher. Belle had trailed behind them, texting Rumald as she had sat on the red couch shaped like a pair of lips, but had been oblivious to the shape of the couch at the time. It had not taken long for Ruby and Ashley to corrupt Mary-Margaret, encouraging her to buy a cup-less bra and matching panties, throwing in a pair of handcuffs for good measure. While Belle had laughed and replied to Rumald, the girls had converged on her and snatched her up from the couch to thrust different outfits at her, holding them up against her. After countless 'What about this?' Belle had bought a black lacy nightie that stopped at her hips, and would barely cover her butt, just to shut them up.

Belle closed her eyes at the image of the nightie in her head and held her hand up to her forehead. "It's… It needs to go in the bin."

"Oh, no, dearie." Rumald hummed down the phone, making her toes curl up in her sneakers. "This is coming home with me."

"Rumald, do not bring it home!" She ordered down the phone, trying to keep herself from shouting as she glanced again down either way of the corridor.

He chuckled down the phone. "Bye, sweetheart."

As she was about to argue with him, he hung up the phone, leaving her stood in the corridor alone with only the heat of her cheeks for company. Belle's eyes were wide, thinking of him going through her draws. Maybe it was not a good idea for him to go through her clothes.

Remembering she had to go to the office, she set off down the corridor and rounded the corner, hearing voices trail down the corridor from the front office. Belle slid her phone into her pocket, as she went through the doorway into the office and halted seeing Milah arguing with Zelena. Shock did not convey how she felt seeing Milah, but whatever she was feeling was soon forgotten when Milah turned her gaze onto Belle.

"What are you doing here?" Milah pointed her finger at Belle.

Zelena looked from Milah to Belle, giving Belle a sympathetic smile, before she looked back at Milah. "I called her here."

"I told you to get Albert, Albert Gold." Milah said vehemently to Zelena.

"And I told you, we have to follow the requests of the parent with sole custody, and Mr Gold has instructed to never release Albert into your care." Zelena glared at Milah, as she repeated herself in a tone that said 'Do not mess with me'.

Milah pointed her finger randomly, as she fumed. "I don't think you know who you're messing with! Go and get my son!"

"Not until we have heard from Mr Gold!" Zelena told Milah and looked to her secretary. "Dawn, have you managed to get hold of Mr Gold?"

"It was going straight to voicemail, but its ringing now." Dawn informed Zelena.

"Right, that's it!" Belle flung her hands into the air and crossed over to the two women, and shoved Milah into Zelena's office, as she said to Zelena. "I'm going to borrow your office!"

She did not wait for Zelena to answer and slammed the door behind her. Milah glared at Belle, waddling round to face Belle with a hand protectively over her stomach. Belle shook her head and pursed her lips, trying to figure out what she was going to do with Rumald's ex-wife, apart from strangulate her.

"You've got a nerve!" Milah declared.

"I've got a nerve?" Belle threw her finger at Milah, stabbing the air between them. "You're the one showing up at Bae's school! Do you not think how he's going to feel about this, when he hears about you shouting your mouth off?"

"You've got no right to talk to me like that!" Milah spat back at Belle, taking a step forward to say. "And if I hear you call Albert, Bae again, I'll make you wish you never met my son and Rum."

Belle grinned at Milah's threat. "I have every right to talk to you like this. We have a connection that you'll never have with him. We understand each other better than anyone does. Hence the reason, I can tell you, you're a lousy mother." She leaned forward towards Milah saying. "And that's being polite."

"Watch it!" Milah warned through gritted teeth.

"Anyway," Belle folded her arms over her chest. "What do you want with him?"

Milah stuck her nose up in the air. "Nothing that concerns you."

"If you want to see him, then you'll have to tell me, otherwise you can wait 'til school finishes." Belle informed her, watching Milah carefully as the other woman sat back onto the edge of the desk.

"It's family business and you're not family." Milah stated, stroking her hand over her bump.

Belle frowned at Milah. "You really think that's going to be enough to convince me to let you talk to him. Try again."

"You're not his mother! I am!" Milah shouted launching off the desk to stand in front of Belle, her breath washed over Belle's face. "It does not concern you!"

"When it comes to Bae, I make it my business, so if you" Belle's head whipped to the left and her cheek stung, especially where Milah's ring had connected with her face. Holding her hand up to nurse the pain in her cheek, Belle turned back to Milah, glaring at the other woman. The darkness in Milah's eyes did not deter Belle.

"When it comes to Bae," She paused to see if Milah would slap her again before she carried on. "I make it my business, so if you want to see him, you'll tell me what you want with him."

Milah's top lip twitched, as she growled at Belle. "I need to talk to him about his trust fund."

"His trust fund?" Belle scowled at Milah.

"Now, go and get my son!" Milah instructed.

"You're joking right?" Belle laughed and dropped her hand down from her face, ignoring the stinging pain.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Milah questioned her, pointing her finger towards her face.

Belle shook her head at Milah. "I'm not stupid." Belle said and leant forward to Milah, their noses nearly touched. "I heard you begging Rumald for money last night. I can guess why you want to speak to Bae about his trust fund." She was ready this time and caught Milah's hand. "And what's sad, is that he'd give it to you. Because you haven't tainted the goodness in his heart like you have his father."

"Rum did it all to himself!" Milah sneered, as she snatched her wrist out of Belle's hold.

"This is what you're going to do." Belle stepped forward into Milah, forcing the other woman to take a step back. "You're going to leave this office and this school, and go home."

"Not until I've seen Albert!" Milah said backing up another step away from Belle, when she took another step forward.

Belle shook her head. "You're not going to see him. I would've only let you see him, if you were genuinely interested in seeing him, but you're not. It's all about you."

"You will not get away with this." Milah told Belle, a hint of uncertainty had creeped into Milah's voice, as Belle came face to face with her again.

"You break his heart every time you put yourself before him." Belle told her straight. "You're going to leave here quietly and go home. If you don't, I'll tell Bae why you're here and he'll shut you out again."

Glaring at Belle, Milah edged her way around one of the chairs in front of Zelena's desk and went to the office door. Belle followed her round to the door and saw the look Milah gave her before she yanked open the door, and stormed passed everyone on the other side of the door and out of the office. Raising her hand to her cheek, Belle rubbed at the soreness as she left Zelena's office. The two women watched Belle exit the office, their eyes widened as they saw the hand print peeping out from under Belle's hand.

Zelena stopped Belle by touching her shoulder. "Mr Gold is on his way."

"Ring him and tell him, it's okay. I've sorted it." Belle instructed letting her gaze meet Zelena's.

"That looks painful." Zelena nodded her head towards Belle's cheek. She turned away from Zelena and walked out of the office, heading back to the library. The pain in her cheek was nothing compared to what Albert would feel, if he found out his mother had come to see him and wanted his trust fund. Belle knew exactly what it would do to him and she could not bear for him to go through it. Over her dead body, would she ever allow Albert to go through any more pain because of his mother. She would rather go through it herself then let him suffer.


	50. Chapter 50

Laying on the couch in Rumald's living room, Belle cuddled a cushion against her chest, her chin smothered into it, as she watched a romantic comedy from her recommended list on Netflix. The plot was too obvious for Belle to pay too much attention to it, already guessing what was going to happen before it happened. She was hoping it would distract her from the foul mood Milah had left her with, but nothing seemed to subdue it. Even when she had sat with Thomas, talking him through his history assignment, Belle had found herself grumbling under her breath. The upside of the encounter had given Belle a better understanding, as to why Rumald got so annoyed about Milah and her meddling: Milah was a big pain in the butt.

Belle was thankful Rumald was running late because the council meeting had overrun. It had allowed her more time for the redness in her cheek to calm down. The outline of Milah's hand had faded, but it was obvious one of her cheeks had more colour than the other one. She had heard from Dawn, Zelena's secretary, that Rumald had turned up at the school, not long after Belle had gone back to the library, only for them to tell him what Belle had instructed them to tell him. Rumald was yet to know what had been said between her and Milah, and about Milah slapping her.

Telling him was not something she was looking forward to, but if she tried to hide it or stayed at her apartment instead of coming to his house, he would only be suspicious. It would be better to face it head on with him, whereas with Albert, she was able to wave off his concern by feeding him takeout from Grannies and the excuse she had caught herself with her car door. Not long after eating their dinner, he had disappeared to his room and left her downstairs for his game. The time alone had given Belle chance to think of all the possible scenarios for when Rumald came home. Most of the scenarios involved Rumald running out of the house to confront Milah. That was the last thing she wanted him to do.

Her eyes glanced to the mantelpiece clock and she rolled her eyes, seeing it was nearly eight o'clock. He had said on the phone, he would be home for about half past seven, so he must have been hung up by something else. She prayed it was not Milah, as she sat up and flung the cushion to the other end of the couch. Collecting her glass from the coffee table, Belle got up from the couch and trailed off into entrance hall and through into the kitchen. She rubbed at her cheek and hissed when she touched the sorest spot, where Milah's ring had hit her cheek. Milah's ring had left a small deep red oblong mark on her cheek. It was the only mark on her cheek, which was not easing with time.

She yanked open the fridge door and reached inside to grab the carton of orange juice. As Belle poured the juice into her glass, she titled her head hearing the front door's lock turn and the door open. Pouting her lips, she blew a long breath out to calm nerves, as she put the orange juice back into the fridge door.

"Hey, sweetheart." Rumald called from the entrance hall. "Sorry I've been so long. Mayor Mills wanted to go over the planning for the new mine extensions and expenses of the town." She turned to see him hang his suit jacket on the end of the banister. "And then, Dove called to tell me that antique vase, I've been waiting for, was damaged!"

"At least you're home now." Belle said, showing a small smile to him.

He was pulling at his tie, as he shuffled into the kitchen, tired from his long day, saying. "Yes, it's nice to come home to… you…"

The scowl that appeared on Rumald's forehead was deep. His tie whipped from around his neck, when he yanked it out from the collar of his shirt. Belle drank from her orange juice, trying not to draw attention to herself or her cheek. He tossed his tie onto the kitchen island, as he quickened his pace to stand beside her and raised his hand to gently touch at her cheek. She braced her hands down onto the edge of the counter, averting her eyes from him, as he examined her cheek, lightly brushing his thumb and forefinger over her sore cheek. When his finger stroked over the mark Milah's ring had left, Belle sucked in a breath and bit at her bottom lip.

"Did she do this to you?" Rumald's voice was low and dark. Hearing his tone frightened her. The voice she heard did not belong to her sweet Rumald. It was his beast.

When she had not answered him quick enough, he grabbed her chin and turned her face to look at him. "Did she!"

"If we're going to talk about it, can we go outside?" Belle asked tenderly and saw his face soften at her tone. "I don't want Bae to hear."

She left her glass on the kitchen island and edged pass him, while he was gazing in the direction of the entrance hall. Opening one of the patio doors, Belle glanced over her shoulder to find Rumald on her heels and felt his hand touch her back, pushing her out of the door. They stepped out on the patio and Rumald closed the door behind them. Crossing her arms over her chest, Belle pivoted round to face him, watching as he undid the top buttons of his shirt.

"Did she do that?" Rumald asked again, his voice was still low and dark, waving his hand to his own cheek.

Belle took a breath. "She did."

His lip curled into a snarl before he darted pass her, striding off to duck down the side of the house. Quickly, Belle chased after him and snatched at his arm, yanking him back to face her. His eyebrows pressed down over his eyes, causing them to look dark and intimidating. She ignored it and dug her fingers into his cotton shirt arm, firmly holding onto him.

"Don't go round there!" Belle urged and tugged at his arm. "You'll give her what she wants!"

"I am not - going to stand by and do nothing!" He growled, gesturing to her cheek.

Belle shook her head at him, saying. "Listen." She raised her hand up to his chest and clutched at his waistcoat, tethering another hold on him. "If you go round there, she's getting what she wants. She's getting your attention."

"Oh, she'll get a lot more than my attention, dearie!" Rumald threatened.

"And what's that going to get you? Nothing!" Belle threw back at him.

Rumald shook his head, telling her. "Nobody - and I mean – nobody, touches you or Bae! I will not let her get away with this!"

"I love that, I do." Belle told him, moving closer, standing less than an inch from him. "But – I - need you right now. I need you to hold me and tell me about your day. I need you to kiss my cheek better and tell me I look beautiful." She yanked at his waistcoat. "I don't want you storming off to Milah's, so you two can shout at each other!"

"I will not have her thinking she won!" Rumald seethed, baring his teeth at Belle.

"She hasn't won and she won't win, as long as you don't go round there!" Belle implored him.

Rumald tried to walk away, shaking his head vehemently, but Belle would not let go of him and was dragged along with him. "Rumald! Don't!"

"For god's sake, Belle!" He exclaimed with his shoulder's falling, succumbing to her confine.

"Look, she didn't get what she wanted today." Belle informed him, tightening her hold on him.

"What about tomorrow? Or the day after that?" Rumald asked, waving his hand around in the air. "If I don't go and stop her, it'll carry on!"

Belle groaned at her annoyance with him and said. "Rumald, she has been carrying on like this all her life. Going round there will not change the way she is. She's self-centred and that's it."

"At least I'll feel better!" He confessed to her, gesturing to himself with his hand.

"What?" She questioned, confused by his change in tack.

The back of his fingers stroked down the sore side of her face, as he said. "You shouldn't have had to deal with her. She's my problem, not yours."

"Rumald," Belle angled her face into his touch, her annoyance with him calmed under his touch. "If you honestly want us to get married, then this is as much my problem, as it is yours. It's our problem and we'll deal with everything that comes our way together."

At mentioning marriage, Rumald's demeanour broke, the anger and frustration he had been exhibiting drained out of him. The strong urge to lash out and fruitlessly right the world left him. His hand glided over her cheek and his fingers slid into her hair, holding her face so she could not turn away from him. She did not know what his eyes sought after or what he was waiting for, as his eyes darted from side to side, processing the information they were receiving.

His other hand drew over her lower back, the movement made Belle release her hold on his arm, and he pressed her against himself, making their foreheads meet in an unconventional kiss. She watched him carefully, not allowing her eyes to close, while he closed his own eyes and breathed in deeply. The grip she had on his waistcoat did not relinquish, bunched up inside her white knuckled fist. Belle was prepared for any attempt to jerk away from her. Gaining more of an advantage, she slid her arm around his waist to secure a hold onto the waist of his pants, clasping his belt inside her fist.

"Why did she want to see Bae then?" He asked her, his voice was barely a whisper.

Belle swallowed nervously, readying herself, and said. "She wanted to talk to him about his trust fund."

"His trust fund?" He questioned, letting his head lull back from hers.

"That's what she said." She confirmed to him.

"Course!" Rumald squeezed his eyes shut and said after opening his eyes. "We're both co-signers on his trust fund. Either one of us can access his account, as long as we have him present to sign."

"I thought it might be something like that." Belle shrugged her shoulders at him.

He shook his head in disbelief. "All because I said no."

"She would have found another way to get a rise out of you." She informed him, crookedly smiling at him.

His gaze went up to the house. "Does he know?"

"No, I haven't told him anything." She answered him, slightly releasing her hold on him.

"I so want to go in there and tell him." Rumald admitted to her. "But I don't want to upset him."

Letting go of his waistcoat, Belle cupped his face and snuggled her face into his, as she said. "Let's go inside and forget about this, please?"

"I won't forget, but for now I'm willing to go inside and have a beer." He said to her, moving his arms to encircle her, hugging her tightly against him. Returning his hug, Belle twisted her head to kiss his neck just below his ear, sensing he was calmer now.

One of Rumald's hands rubbed up and down her back, as he said into her ear. "I'm sorry, she hit you."

"You don't have to apologise for her, Rumald." Belle told him, angling herself back to see his face.

"I just wish they hadn't got you involved and waited for me." He looked sad as he spoke to her, stroking his thumb lightly over her red cheek.

She smiled warmly at him before nodding her head towards the patio. "Come on, Mr Gold, let's go and have this beer you mentioned."

Forcing a smile, Rumald nodded his head and they walked side by side back to the patio and into the house. She waited by the kitchen island, as Rumald grabbed two bottles of beer out of the fridge. As he twisted the lids off the beers in turn, he tossed them onto the kitchen island and held his hand out to Belle, holding the beers by their necks in his other hand. Taking his hand, Belle leant her head against his shoulder and went with him into the living room.

Rumald used their joined hands to persuade her to go first into the living room, as he said. "I'm going to talk to Gladius tomorrow about this. If I can't have it out with Milah, then at least Gladius can."

"Fine." Belle smiled at him behind her before she sat down onto the couch. He groaned as he sat down beside her and held the beers in his hand out towards her, so she could claim one for herself. Shifting across the couch next to him, Belle carefully took a beer from him and leant into him, laying her arm over the back of his shoulders.

It was not long after they had finished their beers they had retired to bed together, cuddling up to welcome sleep together. But something woke Belle from her sleep. She twisted to see Rumald beside her, but he was not there. Her eyes went to the clock and her eyes widened at it being nearly two o'clock in the morning. Confused as to where Rumald was, she climbed out of the bed and went over to the window, ducking her head through the gap in the curtains to see Rumald's car was still in the driveway. She was grateful to see his car still in the driveway.

Padding over to the bedroom door, Belle tiptoed out of the bedroom and into the hallway, listening to the sounds of the house. There was not a whisper in the house, only the sound of her breathing and her feet on the wooden floorboards. Belle crept down the stairs and looked into the living room, as she descended the stairs, to find the room was in darkness. Her concern weighed down over her brow, whilst she stepped off the stairs and went into the kitchen, the room was dark apart from the moonlight filtering in through the windows. When her eyes moved around the room, trying to find a clue to his whereabouts, she noticed the patio doors were ajar. Seeing the doors were open, Belle had an idea where Rumald had gone and snuck out through the doors. The cool night air caressed her skin caused a shudder down her spine. She hugged herself and stepped off the patio step, heading to the door to the garage.

Slowly she opened the door to find Rumald with his bare back to her, dressed only in his pyjama bottoms, as he rubbed down the bookcase he had been making, so she had her own bookcase in house. There was a pool of wood shavings at his feet, showing he had been there a while. Belle crossed over to him, noting he had his earphones in his ears. Gingerly she touched his upper arm and smiled at him, when his head shot up to look at her.

He pulled the earphones out of his ears, as he said. "Belle, it's late, go back to bed."

"I could say the same to you." Belle countered, gliding her hand over the smooth bookcase.

"I couldn't sleep." He told her stepping pass her to go to the workbench and dropped his planer onto the bench, as he pressed the button on his earphones to stop the music. "The image of her slapping you keeps playing over and over."

She shuffled over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her weight against him, which made him slump against the workbench. "It's okay."

"No, it isn't." He mumbled with his head bent over, avoiding eye contact with her.

"Course it is." Belle stooped to see his face. "You didn't go round there for a start. That's going to mess with her head more than anything."

Rumald closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's not okay, because I don't like getting like this."

"Getting like what?" She asked standing straighter, when he raised his head to look at her.

"This temper is not mine." He told her putting his hands onto her hips. "My father has a temper like this and I didn't have it until Milah left."

"Rumald, I can totally understand. She broke your heart. It'll change you. Just like Gaston changed me, or more opened my eyes to love is not a fairy tale." She explained to him, playing with the hair at the back of his neck.

He breathed in deeply before he said. "It wasn't her breaking my heart that changed me." Rumald flung his hand in the direction of the house. "She broke his heart. That's what angers me and now she's hurting you. I don't care what she does to me, she can kill me for all I care, but she will not hurt the two people that mean the world to me."

"Nobody will be killing anybody." Belle told him, clasping her hands either side of his face, forcing him to look directly into her eyes. "And if she so much as touches a hair on your head, she'll have me to deal with."

"Hang on… What about this then?" Rumald asked pointing to the scar in his eyebrow, from when Milah threw his phone at his head.

"Well, she didn't touch you. Your phone hit you, so technically…" She smiled playfully at him.

"Right…" He drawled out, pulling her closer against him. Hearing him accentuate his accent, unconsciously made Belle bite down on her lower lip. Rumald smiled lovingly at her and brought his hand up to stroke his thumb down her cheek. Thinking how she could spend the rest of her life in his arms, she snuggled her face into the nape of his neck, thankful he was hers.


	51. Chapter 51

(Mild swearing)

Belle sat on the floor in her apartment with a cardboard box in front of her, packing away the books piled beside her. She glanced over to where Ruby was dismantling the sound system, wrapping up each cable to put into a box, ready to go to Rumald's shop to sell. They had gone through everything, sorting things into selling and keeping piles. Belle loved the sound system, she had saved to buy herself when she was sixteen, but the one Rumald owned was much newer. It also was therapeutic, getting rid of the things, which reminded her of the bad times in her life. All she wanted to take to Rumald's house were the good memories from her life before them.

Placing some books into the box, Belle folded down the flaps of the box and grabbed the tape to close the box up. After she had taped up the box, she stood up and went into the kitchen to open the fridge, grabbing a beer each for her and Ruby. Belle crossed the room to Ruby, as Ruby was carefully putting the main unit of the sound system into a cardboard box. When Ruby stood up, Belle offered the beer towards her, whilst her eyes combed over the room.

"This isn't fair, you know?" Ruby exclaimed, snatching the lid off the beer bottle.

Belle raised her eyebrows at Ruby's statement. "What isn't?"

"I can't just come over here any time I want." Ruby waved her hand around the room and then gestured in the direction of Rumald's house. "Now, I've got go across town, if I want to see you!" She said with feign annoyance, but smiled as she said it.

"You're welcome to come over any time, you know that." Belle said twisting her lid off her beer and drank from it.

"Hey, did you get a text from Mary-Margaret about Saturday?" Ruby asked, touching Belle's lower arm.

She nodded her head at Ruby, as she swallowed her beer, and said. "I got the text asking what venue we would prefer."

"Where did you say? I want to go to the new cocktail bar." Ruby gave Belle a toothy smile, showing her excitement as she bounced from foot to foot.

"We said we didn't mind, or more Rumald grumbled and I said I didn't mind." Belle chuckled at the memory. They had been sat on the patio, enjoying the remnants of the evening together, Belle with a book while Rumald sorted things out for the business on his iPad. She had forgotten about Mary-Margaret's suggestion for a couple's evening out, due to the confrontation with Milah, until she had received a text disturbing them. Rumald had started grumbling at the suggestion, but with a smile from Belle, he had relented and said he would go.

"Wonder where Ashley and Mary-Margaret want to go." Ruby thought aloud, perching herself onto the windowsill behind her.

"I'm wondering, who you're bringing to a couple's night out." Belle said, lifting an eyebrow at her friend.

Ruby shyly smiled at Belle's obvious question, as her cheeks washed with a darker shade of red. "Just this cute guy who was in Grannies the other day. He's just moved here."

"What's his name?" Belle asked before swigging her beer.

"Will." Ruby answered, her smile become broader as she said his name.

"Oh…" Belle nodded her head at the information. "What does he do?"

"I don't know." Ruby admitted frowning at the question.

Belle laughed, while she stepped pass some boxes and went to the bookcase she had been emptying, saying as she went. "At least you remembered to ask for his name this time."

"Hey! There were extenuating circumstances, why I didn't get that guy's name." Ruby defended herself, pointed her finger randomly in the air, trying to find her extenuating circumstance. Turning to see her friend, Belle waited for the excuse with an amused smirk on her face.

An eureka moment flashed over Ruby's face before she said. "It was rude for him to speak with his mouthful."

"Ruby! You were snogging his face off!" Belle exclaimed, shaking her head as she pulled some more books off the shelves.

"Exactly!" Ruby said, still trying to defend herself. "His mouth was full with my tongue!"

"If Granny hears you talking like that, you'll get it in the neck again." Belle warned Ruby, laughing at the image of Granny scolding Ruby, as her phone started to ring on the kitchen counter. Darting across the room, dumping the books in her hands into an empty box on the way, Belle snatched her phone off the counter and answered it.

"Belle." Albert's voice sounded so small down the phone.

Scrunching her eyebrows together, Belle asked him. "Bae, what's wrong?"

"Can you come and get me, please?" He asked her.

"Sure, I can. Are you at the school?" She asked him, while she trotted across the apartment to grab her jacket off a hook and shoved her feet into her sneakers.

"No." His voice was barely audible. "I'm in Freeport."

"How the hell did you get there?" Belle questioned with her brow squeezing down over her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked from behind Belle.

Belle held up her hand to Ruby, as Albert said. "Can you just come and get me, please?"

"Where are you in Freeport?" Belle asked, shoving her arm into a sleeve of her jacket, as she yanked her apartment door open.

She quickly ran down the stairs into the library, too impatient to call the elevator, as he told her. "I'm sitting on a bench outside of the Keybank."

"Okay, stay there!" Belle instructed him bursting through a door into the library and jogged through the aisles of the library to shoulder barge the main door open. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

As she drove over to Freeport, Belle's mind went over every possible reason for how he could have got there. The only conclusion that her mind kept coming back to, was Milah had collected him somehow from the school and taken him there. It was out of character for Albert to do such a thing. He always called or messaged Rumald to tell him where he was. Even when he was out with the Nolans, there would always be a message to say they were going for ice cream.

She cursed Milah as she overtook a car, pushing her car to go faster so she could get to him sooner. The more she thought about him sat alone on the bench, the tighter her hold became on the steering wheel. Her head shook from side to side, annoyed Gladius's little chat the day before had not got through Milah's thick skull. Gladius had come by the house the night before, informing them that Milah would apologise to Belle the next time she saw her. Belle very much doubted it and so did Gladius, by the sound of her voice. It was clear Gladius was getting to the end of her tether with her own daughter, as she swiftly knocked back three glasses of wine in half an hour. Trying to understand Milah seemed to be something none of them would ever be able to do.

Swiftly taking a turn off the main road through Freeport, Belle spotted Albert sitting on a bench outside the bank on the opposite side of the street, with his head hung low with his earphones in his ears. Heavily sighing out of her nose, she spun the car round in the middle of the street, braking hard to park beside the kerb near him. Albert gazed up from the floor to her, as she climbed out of her car and shut her car door to come around the front of the car. Sheepishly he glanced up to her face and then down to his hands, whilst Belle sat down next to him on the bench. He hugged his backpack close to his chest, whilst he plucked his earphones out of his ears and pressed stop on his phone. She waited, allowing him to start the conversation, and watched him put his earphones and phone in his backpack.

"I'm sorry, Belle." He said zipping up the front pocket of his backpack.

Belle reached out and ran her fingers through his short hair. "You haven't got anything to be sorry for, honey."

"I do, because I never learn my lesson." Albert told her, hugging his backpack tighter to his chest.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to, Bae." She said to him, hoping her ploy would encourage him to open up.

He slightly moved his head side to side. "She said she wanted to spend time with me." He clasped one of his hands over his forehead. "An afternoon where it was just me and her."

"So you got in the car with your mother and she brought you here?" Belle partly asked, partly said, to encourage him to carry on, while she slid closer to him on the bench and put her arm around his shoulders.

"We were in the coffee shop over there," Albert pointed down the street towards the intersection. "She was telling me, how Killian and her were nearly done decorating the nursery. But she's worried her and Killian won't be able to afford to stay in town, as she's paying off a lot of Killian's debts and there isn't enough left for them to live on."

Belle frowned, as she said. "They're useless with money."

Albert shrugged his shoulders. "Killian can't get any work in town, but there's people offering him work back in Miami."

"Right…?" She gently urged, clutching her fingers into the shoulder of his jacket, giving her annoyance an outlet.

"So…" Albert dropped his head, the disappointment was written over his face. "I offered to give her some of my trust fund money."

"Oh, Bae!" Belle closed her eyes in pray. "You didn't?"

She opened her eyes to see him shaking his head, as he told her. "No… We were going in when I asked her why they didn't sell their house in Miami." His lips drew into a tight line before he carried on. "She told me it was her house and why would she want to sell it, as she was pushing me through the door."

Belle clutched him tighter against her side, as Albert said. "When I refused to give her my money, she started shouting at me, telling me I was just like my dad. Then she stormed out of there" He gestured to the bank behind them. "And left me here."

"Come here." Belle implored him to come into her arms, holding her other arm out for him to come into her embrace. He slumped his head against her shoulder and begun to shake against her, turning his face into her denim jacket as she wrapped her arms around him. Her hand cradled the back of his head. Her jacket muffled his mumblings, begging Belle to tell him why Milah did not want him, why his mother did what she did and how could his mother leave him. The latter question was already buzzing around Belle's head, as she shushed away his questions and held him.

She waited until he stopped crying and suggested they got in the car to head home. With a sniffle and a nod of his head, they climbed into Belle's car and she drove them back to Storybrooke. Albert remained quiet in the car, gazing out the passenger window as Freeport whizzed by the window before they jumped on the interstate. Her gaze flitted between the road and Albert, concern if he would start crying again and she would not be able to comfort him as she was driving.

It did not take them long to get back into Storybrooke and Belle thought it best to take him straight home. Turning into their street, Belle was inquiring what Albert wanted for dinner, as they pulled up at the kerb outside the house. She frowned seeing Rumald's car in the driveway, parked where Albert's Camaro was normally parked.

They got out of the car, as Albert said. "Can we order pizza?"

"Sure." Belle said with a warm smile, as he met her on the sidewalk to walk up the path together to the house. "Where's your car?"

"Oh god!" Albert stopped abruptly on the path, bumping his backpack into Belle. "Dad was going to meet me after school for a driving lesson."

"It's okay." Belle told him, as Albert slung his backpack round on his shoulder to unzip the front pocket and stuffed his hand into the pocket to get his phone.

"I forgot my phone was in silent mode! Dad's rung me twenty seven times and left loads of messages!" Albert exclaimed showing the phone to Belle.

She squeezed his arm. "It's okay, Bae. Just call him."

As Albert swiped his phone and unlocked it, Belle heard a distant tyre screech and an engine roar. She glanced round to see the Camaro racing down the street, as Albert put his phone to his ear. The car bounced harshly as Rumald pulled into the driveway, stopping very close behind his own car. Belle turned to cross the front lawn to Rumald, as Albert ended the call behind her.

Rumald climbed out of the car and slammed the car door behind him, causing the car to rock from side to side. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Rumald, calm down." Belle urged meeting him between Albert's car and Albert on the front lawn.

"I've been at my wits end worrying about you!" Rumald pointed his finger at Albert, halted from going over to Albert by Belle laying her hands on his chest. "I was sat outside of school, watching everyone come out 'til Emma saw me and told me you'd left with your mother! Why haven't you answered your phone!"

"I'm sorry." Albert apologised, his voice sounded like a small child instead of the young man who stood before them.

"I've tried ringing your mother and she's not answering!" Rumald's face was red with his anger.

Belle clutched at the lapels of his suit jacket. "Rumald, calm down and listen to me."

"Where were you!" Rumald dropped his gaze to her. "When I couldn't find him, I went to the apartment to find Ruby packing up your things! She told me he'd rung and you'd ran out, saying something about Freeport!"

"Milah took him to Freeport." Belle told him, stumbling with him as he tried to break her hold on him.

"She did what?" He questioned with his gaze darting between Belle and Albert.

She swallowed nervously, praying for the strength to handle him, and told him what happened. "She picked him up from school, telling him she wanted to spend time with him. Then she gave him some sob story of how she needed money. When he wouldn't give it to her, she left him."

"Left him!" Rumald shouted jolting her forwards, as he yanked backwards. "She left him in Freeport? On his own?"

"Rumald, let's go in…" Belle was cut off when he broke out of her hold and stomped off to Albert's car to jump into it. "Rumald, stop!"

"No!" He yelled from inside the car, as he started it up.

Belle just got to the driver's window to watch Rumald yank the gear selection into reverse. "Rumald, please!"

The glare he shot her knocked the air out of her lungs. "Not this time, sweetheart!"

The car sped backwards out of the drive and screeched to a stop in the middle of the street. In an attempt to stop him, Belle sprinted down to the street but was left to watch Albert's car race off down the street, speeding out of sight when Rumald drifted out of the street. Belle closed her eyes at the hatred she saw in his eyes, listening as Albert's car roared off into the distance. She bit her lip cursing herself that she had been unable to stop him, but seeing the look in his eyes, Belle doubted there would not have been much she could have done to stop him. Yes, he had been angry the other night, when he had found out Milah had slapped her. Now, he was livid.

A hand touched her arm and brought her out of her thoughts. She glanced to see Albert beside her, his worried face focused in the direction Rumald had gone. Belle pulled her phone out of her pocket and rung the only person she thought would stand a chance of beating Rumald to Milah and stop him.

"Gladius." Belle greeted when Gladius answered with a chipper 'Hi Belle'. "You need to get to Milah's house now!"

"What? Why?" Gladius asked concerned.

"I haven't got time to explain. Rumald's on his way over there now and he might do something stupid." Belle told her, as she guided Albert out of the street and up to the house.

"Okay, I'm going." The older woman said and ended the call.

Sliding the phone into her pocket, Belle said to Albert. "Go inside and order yourself whatever you want."

"If you're going after dad, I want to come too." Albert insisted, grabbing a handful of Belle's jacket.

"No, you're going to stay here." Belle demanded, easily removing his hand from her jacket. "I won't be long. I promise."

"But this is my fault! I want to help!" He cried with his eyes watering.

She softened and leaned in to kiss his cheek quickly, saying as she moved backwards towards her car. "It isn't your fault and you'll be helping me by getting dinner sorted for when your father and I come home."

"Okay." Albert said quietly, his shoulders slumped in defeat as he shuffled his way up towards the house. Watching him up to the house, Belle climbed into her car and started it, waiting until he had entered the house before she pulled away from the kerb. She had only been to Milah's house a couple of times, so took her time as she drove out of Storybrooke, following the coast road and found the turning for Milah's house.

As she came to the end of the road, she could see Albert's car abandoned across the driveway, blocking in Killian's sports car, and Gladius's Mercedes was parked behind Albert's car. Belle put her car into park and climbed out, hearing faint shouting coming from the house. She pushed her door shut and quickly jogged pass the cars and down the driveway. Her pace slowed to a near stop when she came face to face with Milah's front door.

The wooden door hung on an angle, cracked and splintered from where the bottom hinge had given way, with a dirty footprint standing out on the white paint of the door. Belle swept her eyes over the scene, seeing the doorframe was cracked and the strike plate for the lock was missing. The shouts echoed down the hallway, as she carefully stepped over the bits of wood that littered the floor. Moving down the hallway, Belle came into the living room to find things had been thrown around the room. A lamp lay on its side with ornaments and papers scattered around the floor.

"Don't you fucking care about him!" Rumald yelled from somewhere in the house.

"Rumald, stop!" Gladius pleaded, as Belle walked around the corner into the kitchen. She was shocked at the sight of them. Rumald pinned Milah against the fridge with his hand clasped around her throat. Desperately Gladius stood between them, holding onto Rumald's suit jacket as she tried to save him from doing something stupid.

"Rumald, get off me!" Milah ordered struggling against his hold.

Rumald leaned forward to Milah, ignoring Gladius between them, seething. "How could you leave him there!"

"Come on, Rumald, let go of her!" Gladius said, pushing him back and out of Milah's face.

Both women jumped when Rumald punched the fridge, inches away from Milah's face, as he shouted at Milah. "HOW!"

"Rumald!" Belle called running around the large kitchen island to come up behind him. He crooked his neck to see Belle over his shoulder, his fist still pressed against the cool metal surface of the fridge, putting Gladius between his arms. Purposely Belle laid her hand onto his shoulder and gently persuaded him to angle his body towards her. His body responded to her and he stepped back to face her sideways, withdrawing his fist from the fridge whilst his other hand remained clasped around Milah's throat.

"Please let go of her." Belle beseeched him, moving her hand from his shoulder to cup his face. "For me, let go."

His face scrunched at her request, but she saw the anger in his eyes relent slightly. Rumald did not look at Milah as his grasped loosened from around her neck and his hand dropped to his side. Milah was quick to squeeze pass her mother, almost thrusting Gladius towards Rumald as a human shield, while she escaped to the other side of the kitchen island. Grabbing hold of Belle, Rumald yanked her towards him, hugging her tightly as he profusely apologised into her ear. She stroked her hand down the back of his head, as his temper gave way to his floodgates, crying out his worry and anger into her neck.

"You're a mad man, Rum!" Milah stated from the safety on the other side of the counter, rubbing at her neck.

"You would be, if you actually worried about Bae, instead of using him." Belle defended, as Rumald lifted his head up to look at Milah. "Do you not realise what they've been through this afternoon?"

"What about me?" Milah cried pointing to her neck. "First he breaks into my home, trashes my living room and then chased me in here to strangulate me! I'm pregnant, for god sakes!"

"Belle, what's going on?" Gladius asked with her hand rubbing Rumald's back.

Belle glared at Milah as she told Gladius. "The short version is Milah took Bae out of school to get into his trust fund, when he refused, she left him in Freeport."

"Milah!" Gladius exclaimed, her mouth wide with her shock. "You left Albert? On his own?"

"It wasn't like that." Milah defended weakly, holding a hand over her bump.

"What was it like then?" Gladius asked sauntering round the counter to stand beside Milah.

"It… It…" Milah stuttered at the stern look, her mother was giving her.

Gladius waved her hand dismissively at Milah. "There's no excuse, you stupid girl! How dare you do that to my grandson!"

"What about him!" Milah shouted, gesturing towards Rumald across the kitchen.

"I don't blame him!" Gladius told Milah and added. "If I had known when I came in, I would have joined him!"

"Mother!" Milah exclaimed.

"Rumald, let's go home." Belle suggested to him as Milah and Gladius shouted at each other, taking hold of his hand to tug him to follow her. She watched him over her shoulder as she led him out of the kitchen and through the living room to the entrance hall, whilst Gladius shouted at Milah, belittling her daughter in the middle of the kitchen. They stumbled pass the broken front door and out onto the driveway. He looked exhausted as they strode up the driveway together, clutching at each other's hands.

"I was going to kill her." Rumald stated to her, confessing his true intent.

They stopped near Albert's car, as Belle turned to him. "But you didn't."

"I probably would have, if Gladius hadn't followed me into the house." Rumald dropped his head and covered his eyes with his hand. "I kept thinking on the way over here, if she can do this to Bae, what's she going to do to this other baby?" He said in a sad tone.

"Sadly, that's not our concern." She told him, combing her fingers through his hair, flattening the hair that was out of place.

"I can't believe she did that to him, left him. She just doesn't care about him at all." Rumald shared his thoughts with her, lifting his head out of his hand.

Belle smiled and tiptoed up to kiss his lips, and said to him. "He's got us and Gladius, and Emma, and anyone else who cares about him. He doesn't need Milah."

"Thank you for being there for him." Rumald told her, cupping her face between his hands. "I love you."

"I love you too." She returned caressing his cheek. A crooked smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he leant down to kiss her lips. As he pulled away from her, he glanced at the cars surrounding them and looked at the space behind him.

"If you reverse out, I can turn around and we can go home." He instructed her, letting his hands fall from her face to his sides. Nodding at his instructions, she reluctantly walked away from him, glancing over her shoulder to find him watching her. Rumald smiled weakly at her and opened the door to Albert's car. As she climbed into her own car, she saw him duck into Camaro to start it, the car body shook with the vibration of engine starting. Belle let a long heavy breath out, finally relaxing while she watched Rumald turn the car around, as she reversed out of his way.


	52. Chapter 52

The wooden floor in the dining room was cool under Belle's bare legs, as she unpacked the books from one of her boxes onto the bookcase Rumald had made her, using his sleepless nights to finish it. The last two days had not been the easiest, especially when Dove had turned up at the library to inform Belle, Rumald had been taken into the sheriff's office. An informal chat, they had called it. A restraining order had been issued against Rumald, dictating he had remain hundred metres away from Milah and her home, which would not be an issue for Rumald just like he had told Sheriff Graham, 'gladly'.

The whole situation had left Rumald in a sour mood, grumbling and seething under his breath as he left the Sheriff's office to find Belle waiting outside for him. The scowl he had worn coming out of the Sheriff's office dissipated at seeing her. As he ambled over to her, he tore up his copy of his restraining order and let it flitter to the floor, while he wrapped his arms around Belle. His embrace was tight whilst he breathed 'I love you' into her ear, compelling her body to melt against him and her face to nestle into the crook of his neck. The stubble he had not shaved off that morning pricked her nose, choosing to get dress for work and leave before Belle had woken up. It had taken until Friday night for Rumald to get himself together and into a better mood. She had noticed it when they had been lounging together on the couch, watching a film on the television while they heard distant shouts from Albert, who was shouting at someone on his game.

Emptying the box of books, Belle groaned getting up from the floor and carried the empty box out of the dining room into the kitchen, flinging it out the open patio doors to join the other boxes outside. She moseyed over to the fridge and opened it to collect a bottle of water, when she heard a very familiar tune blast out of the living room. Shaking her head, Belle knocked the fridge door shut with her shoulder and unscrewed the cap off her bottle of water, venturing through the kitchen to the living room.

Ruby was standing in the middle of the living room, singing along with John Travolta as Belle came into the room. "I'm losing… control, cause the power you're supplying" Ruby pointed at Belle. "It's electrifying!"

"Oh my god!" Belle laughed as Ruby imitated John Travolta, shaking her hands in the air as she dropped down onto her knees.

"What!" Ruby cried clambering up off the floor. "If we're going to karaoke night at the Rabbit Hole tonight, I need to practise!"

"No, you don't. Not if you're going to be doing any of that." Belle said shaking her head and drank from her bottle of water.

Ruby rolled her eyes at Belle. "Oh, come on, it'll be fun."

"Fun?" Belle questioned, raising an eyebrow at her friend. "Fun would involve enjoyment. I – do not – enjoy embarrassing myself in front of other people."

"You will, if I get enough drinks in you." Ruby smiled cheekily at Belle, pressing a button on the remote for the sound system to change to the next song on the pen drive.

As the plucking of the guitar started, Belle closed her eyes screwing the lid back onto her bottle of water and nodded her head in time to the beat when it rumbled through the speakers. Belle opened her eyes to see Ruby swaying her hips in time with the music, taking another pile of Belle's cds out of a box to organise onto the shelves Rumald had cleared for her.

Belle was not a fan of Justin Bieber, but she would put up with him for the sake of the song. Swaying in time to the music, Belle went through the living room, passing Ruby, to go through into the dining room. She noted the music was quieter in the dining room, but Belle could feel the beat through her feet on the floorboards.

"Ruby," Belle raised her voice, so Ruby would hear her. "Turn it up!"

"'kay!" Ruby shouted back with the music growing louder. The beat shook through the house, the base set in a way that the beat boomed out of the speakers.

Discarding her bottle of water to the dining table, Belle collected another box of books from the stack waiting and took it to the bookcase to rip off the tape holding it shut. She grabbed a pile out of the box and began shelving them, bending over to shelve them onto the bookcase. The beat was infectious, as her hips swayed in time with the music, developing a mind of their own. In time with the music, Belle emptied the box of books onto the shelves with her head joining her hips, bobbing in time with the beat. A solo came up in the song and changed the beat, her hips emphasise stronger beat. She stood up straight, moving to the next shelf up, her whole body moving with the beat as she clutched the books to her chest.

"Your hips are bewitching." Rumald hissed lustfully into her ear, as his hands claimed her hips and his fingertips pressed hard through her denim shorts.

"Oh!" Belle giggled at him surprising her, feeling him behind her, dancing in time with the music with her. "I didn't think you'd be back yet."

"There wasn't anything at the fair that took my interest." He said with one of his hands sliding down over her denim shorts to her bare thigh.

Belle turned her head to see his over her shoulder. "Don't get any ideas. Ruby's in the living room."

Rumald smiled, as his hand left her thigh to cup her face. "I can be quiet. It's you, who has the problem."

"I can be quiet!" She insisted with a frown, while he laughed and dropped his hands from around her.

"I'm going to make a coffee." Rumald informed her, moving away from her to start towards the kitchen. "Do you want one?"

"Hey, I can be quiet!" Belle stressed to him, turning to see him lingering in the doorway to the kitchen, a foolish smile on his face.

"Of course you can, sweetheart." He chuckled before asking again. "Do you want a coffee?"

Belle pouted her lips at him, shaking her head. "No, I've got water, thank you."

Rumald disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Belle alone to cuddle the pile of books in her arms. Shrugging her shoulders at his comment, she decided it was his fault if she could not be quiet and went back to placing the books on the bookcase.

When she emptied another box, she trudged her way out of the dining room to throw the box through the patio doors. As she turned to go into the dining room, she stopped when she saw Rumald and Ruby chatting in the entrance hall. Rumald drank from the cup in his hand, as Ruby giggled at whatever Rumald had said with her hand resting on Rumald's arm. A feeling in the pit of her stomach stirred, seeing the two of them together. Her boyfriend and her best friend chatting, being… cordial… friendly.

Swallowing the foul taste in her mouth away, Belle ducked back into the dining room and roughly grabbed another box, choosing to focus on her task instead of the devil clinging to her back. She shook her head at its whispers, mentally telling herself over and over he was not Gaston. Rumald had never given her just cause to think he would cheat on her and she knew, deep down, he would never dream of doing anything like that to her, since he knew exactly how it felt. But the little voice in her ear was persistent, even though she wished it would go away. She slammed a book onto one of the bookcase's shelf, cursing Gaston for bestowing this niggling insecurity upon her, which popped up whenever it fancied, ruining her mood.

"Hey." Rumald called.

Belle twisted to see him and forced a smile. "Yeah?"

"Bae's just called." Rumald held his phone up for her to see. "I'm going to go pick him up from Emma's, so he can drive home. If you want some thing from Grannies, tell Ruby, she's ringing an order through."

"Okay." She said in a neutral tone, returning to face the bookcase as she slotted a book between some books.

Her head snapped to look at him over her shoulder, when he placed his hand on her shoulder asking. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said to him, beaming a smile at him but her voice betrayed her.

"It doesn't sound like nothing to me." Rumald told her, taking hold of her arm to turn her round to face him, so he could hug her. "Are you changing you mind? If you don't want to move in, then I'd rather you didn't. I want you to be happy."

"No, no, it's nothing to do with that, Rumald." Belle urgently insisted, breathing in the calming smell of his citrus aftershave.

Rumald stroked his hand down her hair to her back. "Then what is it?"

"She's probably worried about the karaoke!" Ruby suggested from the other room.

"Really?" Rumald leant back to see her face, a confused look on his face.

"No, I'm not!" Belle shook her head, but weakly smiled at Ruby's stupid suggestion. "It's alright. I'll be fine when you get back with Bae."

"I don't care if you'll be fine later. I want you to be fine now." He informed her, stroking his thumb over her cheek.

Belle sighed, dredging up all her might to force a happy smile for him, anything for his sake, as she said. "Go on, Bae's waiting for you." She patted a hand against his chest. "Try to come home in one piece."

"We'll talk about this later." He told her kissing her forehead and then left, concernedly glancing back before he went through the doorway into the kitchen. She rubbed at her face, as she pivoted round to the bookcase to bend over, retrieving more books out of the box at her feet. The love she felt for him was so strong, it made her heart ache to think such terrible things about him. Rumald deserved better than she could give him, but she would never let him go. Not now. She needed him more than the air she breathed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ruby standing in the doorway to the living room, watching Belle shelve the books, and asked. "What's the matter?"

"Just stupid thoughts, that's all." Belle mumbled as she juggled the books in her hands, righting them before she put them onto the shelf.

"If it was simply stupid thoughts, you would have told him." Ruby said wisely, coming further into the room to stand beside Belle. "You tell him everything."

Belle bent over and heaved some more books out of the box. "I think I need to stop collecting books."

Ruby stopped Belle's movements by placing her hand on Belle's shoulder, as Belle was reaching out to put a book on the shelf. "What's up?"

"I'm fine." Belle said putting the book on the shelf.

"Come on, talk to me." Ruby pushed the issue and took the books from Belle to drop back into the box. As Belle was about to defend herself, Ruby grabbed hold of Belle's shoulders and twirled her around to push her over to the dining table, and pulled a chair out for Belle to take.

Admitting defeat, Belle dropped into the chair with a heavy sigh and grabbed her bottle of water from the table, as Ruby sat down in a chair nearest her saying. "Talk to me, Belle."

"It's stupid, Ruby. Honestly, I'm okay." Belle said spinning the lid off her bottle of water to take a sip from it.

"Look at me," Ruby said gesturing towards her face, drawing Belle to look at her. "Now tell me."

Belle raised an eyebrow at the expectant look on her friend's face. She did not want to share with her best friend about her gremlin, who had finally put a sock in it. As much as Ruby had probably had more relationships than Belle had, she had never had a relationship that lasted longer than a month. Trying to explain to Ruby about the leech that sucked the happiness out of Belle at times, would be a waste of time. The only person who would understand would be Rumald and Belle did not want to have the conversation with him either. Admitting to him, her mind painted him with the same brush as Gaston would not go down well with him, just as it did not go down well with her.

Rolling her eyes at Ruby, Belle said. "Okay, I'm worried about the karaoke."

"Hey!" Ruby said reaching over the table to clasp Belle's hand. "You haven't got to sing, if you don't want to."

"I know." Belle smiled her appreciation at her friend, feeling guilty for lying to her.

"I promise, I won't force you to get up, whether you're sober or not." Ruby said with a crooked smile.

Belle chuckled at Ruby. "Oh, well that's good to know!"

"Does Rumald sing?" Ruby asked with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Erm… Well, yes and no." Belle said thinking about it.

"Yes and no?" Ruby questioned.

She pouted her lips before answering. "He'll sing in the shower, car, in the garage and when he's doing things. But I don't know whether he'll sing karaoke."

"That's it then!" Ruby said squeezing Belle's hand. "He'll be my victim tonight."

"I doubt it." Belle said before they laughed together like a pair of hyenas. The image of her straight-laced Rumald taking to the stage, to sing karaoke, amused her immensely. It was not he could not sing. The idea of the residents of Storybrooke getting to see their town beast vulnerable made her laugh. If only they knew, all they had to do was scratch his back and he would be a slut for anyone.

"Oh god!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed pulling her phone out of her pocket. "What did you want from Grannies?"

"I'll have the same as Rumald." Belle said stifling her giggles. Nodding her head, Ruby left the table and spoke to Grannie, placing the order for when Rumald and Albert got there.

Sobering from her laughter, Belle's thoughts went back to her demon, who was lingering in the shadows again. As she sat at the dining table, she promised herself she would not allow it to interfere, not if Rumald was starting to notice her change in mood so easily. She would conquer this demon for him, because he did not deserve to be tarnished by Gaston. He loved her, he wanted her, needed her, more than Gaston ever had. Their time together was more precious than the two years Gaston and Belle had spent together. He cared about her more than anyone ever had and she was not about to allow anything from her past to ruin it.

Song: John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John - You're the One that I Want  
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee (Feat Justin Bieber) - Despacito


	53. Chapter 53

Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, Belle pushed the back of her earring onto the stub as she slid it through the hole in her ear. Happy it was secure Belle flicked some of her curls and swept some of her hair over her shoulder. She rubbed a finger along her lip line of her lower lip and smiled at the how she looked in the mirror. Opening the cabinet above the sink, Belle selected one of her perfumes and sprayed some onto her neck and wrist. She put the perfume back and shut the cabinet door before waltzing out of the bathroom into the bedroom, rubbing the perfume between both of her wrists.

She came into the bedroom to find Rumald tightening his belt in front of the full-length mirror, angling himself to check his appearance. Belle crossed over to him, her heels clicking on the wooden floor, as she admired him in his dark blue suit pants and a light blue shirt. She was yet to meet his tailor in New York, but she would be extending her gratitude to them, if she ever had the chance to meet them. His pants hugged him nicely, not too tight and not too loose. The same she would say about his shirts, never had she seen any of his shirts too tight on him, straining over his frame as it pulled, allowing his skin to peep out from under his shirt. He was perfection.

Her hands slid over his smooth shirt sides to his chest, hugging him tightly against her. His eyes met hers in the mirror, a small smile on his face as Belle kissed the back of his neck, her eyes never wavering from his gaze. Belle rested her chin down onto his shoulder, lacing her fingers with his when his hands came up to meet hers.

"Beautiful." He uttered breathless. Belle smiled at his compliment, as she withdrew one of her hands to rub the lipstick mark from his neck and then combed her fingers through the hair at the back of his head.

"What do you think? Tie or no tie?" Rumald asked her, looking at her through the mirror.

Her hand stilled midway down the back of his head, turning her gaze back to the mirror to meet his, as she said. "Rumald, it's not a formal outing. It's drinks with my friends."

"Sweetheart, the last time I had a night out with friends, I was eighteen." He confessed to her, rubbing his free hand over the back of her hand, clasped in his other hand.

"Do you want me to dress you then?" Belle asked him, smirking at him and the small amount of power he was about to bestow on her.

He chuckled releasing her hand and pivoted round to face her. "If you want."

"I'd rather undress you." She shared with him, as her hands reached up to unbutton his collar and a few of the buttons below it.

"Hmm…" Rumald's eyes travelled down her black dress. "I could arrange that."

"No, we're going out. We've never really gone out as a couple, unless it's a family function, so we're going." Belle decreed to him, swatting his hands when they tried to follow the path his eyes had taken.

His eyebrows rose up his forehead, as he dropped his hands to his sides. "Okay."

"Right… I'm torn between you wearing the waistcoat or just going like that." She admitted to him, stepping back to get a better view of him, hoping it would help her decision.

"Give me the waistcoat and I'll put it on, so you can see the difference." Rumald suggested and pointed to the suit jacket and waistcoat on a coat hanger, hanging on the door of the wardrobe. As he instructed, Belle clicked her way over to the wardrobe and removed his waistcoat from the hanger to bring it back over to him. He smiled at her as she handed the waistcoat over to him and stood back while he put his arms into his waistcoat, shrugging it onto his shoulders as he turned to face the mirror again.

Rumald was about to button it, when Belle stopped him, brushing up against him to place her hand on his to still them, as she said. "Don't." He titled his head to look at her beside him, whilst she bit her lip at the sight of him in the mirror. "Just like that."

"Okay, sweetheart, whatever you want." He said to her as he leaned in to kiss her cheek, but lingered to whisper. "Or fancy."

Belle turned to gaze at the suggestive look on Rumald's face, as there was a knock at the door. "Are we decent?"

"Yeah, Ruby, you can come in." Belle called staring deeply into Rumald's eyes. Their bedroom door opened and Ruby's head appeared around the corner of the door, checking they were decent before she opened the door wider and came into the room. Her eyes were wide as Ruby gazed around the room, studying the details of the room. Rumald and Belle turned together to face Ruby with Rumald's hand finding its usual place on her lower back, just at the peak where the curve of her backside began. Ruby lingered near the doorway, smoothing her hands nervously down her form hugging dark red dress.

"I haven't been in here since I was little girl." Ruby admitted to them, her eyes finally found Rumald and Belle.

Rumald groaned and stepped away from Belle's side to squeeze pass Ruby, grumbling. "That's it! Just make me feel old, why don't you?"

"Sorry." Ruby apologised, holding her hands up to him in mock surrender. While Rumald left the room, Belle shook her head crossing over to Ruby, smiling at Rumald's grievance. He may have been older than the two of them, but he was still very much young at heart.

"Don't listen to him." Belle told Ruby, lowering Ruby's hands with her own.

Ruby smiled but chuckled nervously. "I don't understand how he unnerves me. It's like I'm still that little girl, trying to stay out of the way while Grannie cleaned his house."

"And that's probably all he sees, when he sees you." Belle suggested guiding Ruby out of their bedroom, turning off the light as they left the room. She left their bedroom door open and their heels clicked on the wooden floor, whilst they went down the hallway to descend the stairs. With her hand on the banister, Belle followed down the stairs behind Ruby, gazing down at Rumald chatting to Albert in the entrance hall.

"You know where we'll be," Rumald waved his finger through the air between himself and Albert. "Anything happens just call and we'll come straight home. There's money on the fridge, if you need it." He gestured to the kitchen behind him. "Now I don't need to tell you, we're trusting the pair of you, so no stupid business." Rumald said pointing his finger into Albert's chest.

"Dad, please don't give me the sex chat again!" Albert warned, rolling his eyes. "I get it. You told me, no grandchildren until you're fifty or older."

"Good." Rumald clutched Albert's face between his hands. "And no practising 'til you're twenty five."

"Dad!" Albert exclaimed with his cheeks reddening at his embarrassment, looking to Ruby and Belle coming down the last few steps of the stairs behind his father.

Rumald grinned at the obvious blush of his son, as Belle came to stand beside him, her body close enough to feel the heat from his body. "Rumald, he's not stupid and neither's Emma."

"I know he isn't." He said, stroking his thumb lovingly over Albert's cheek. "He's still my baby boy though."

"That's it. I'm going back to the movie." Albert said removing his face from his father's grasp and rolled his eyes at his father's comment. Shrugging his shoulders, Rumald delved his hands into his pant pockets and sauntered off into the kitchen, his shoes clunked against the wooden floor. Belle glanced to Ruby and smiled at her, as she followed in Rumald into the kitchen to see him pocket his wallet and phone.

"Whose car are we taking?" Rumald asked loudly, projecting his voice for her to hear it in the entrance hall.

"Don't care." Belle said and grinned when Rumald jerked to see her in the kitchen.

He smiled moving along the counter to the bowl of keys. "We'll take Albert's since it's first in the drive."

"How does that work?" She asked frowning at him. "My car is by the kerb."

"Yes." He said clasping Albert's car keys in his hand, coming around the breakfast table to stand in front of Belle. "But I've got standers."

Belle scoffed at his comment, covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide at his comment. "What's wrong with my car?"

"Nothing, sweetheart." Rumald wrapped his arms around her as he told her. "Just make the most of it, 'cause when we get married, it's going."

"I haven't said yes, yet." Belle reminded him, slinging her arms around his neck.

A corner of his lip curled into a smile, as he said. "You haven't said no, either."

Their smile mirrored each other's, as they inclined into each other and kissed, forgetting about everyone else in the house. She loved the moments they could steal, when it would be just the two of them. His proposal felt like a lifetime ago, but it had only been a week since he had carefully lifted the lid on the ring box and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. A part of her wished she could go back and say yes to him straight away, but the other part reminded her how out of character it was for him.

If turning back time was an option, she doubted she would, even after the week they had gone through together with Milah. Whether she had said yes or no, Milah still would have done what she did to Albert and if they had got engaged, it may have been worse. At least Rumald had only suffered a restraining order, whereas Milah had disgusted everyone who knew her.

They had been lying in bed, when Rumald had shared the details of the deal, which Gladius had made with Milah. The deal Gladius had made with Milah, dictated that if Milah did not press charges against Rumald for the damages and assault, her mother would not report Milah for child neglect. Belle was not happy about it. Milah did not deserve a free pass to get away with what she did Albert, but if it kept Rumald out of trouble she would hold her tongue. It was just sad that Milah felt she had to have the last stab, by getting a restraining order against Rumald.

"Hey," Ruby called from the entrance hall. "Are we going out tonight? Or are you two too busy making out?"

Belle giggled and dropped her face into Rumald's chest, his hand came up to cradle the back of her head as he said. "Patients are a virtue, young lady."

"Let's go." Belle said stifling her giggles and said to Rumald. "She's desperate for alcohol."

"I heard that!" Ruby cried out, her disgust at Belle's remark evident in her voice. Rumald was smirking when Belle lifted her head from his chest. The twinkle in his eye as he smiled made her smile from ear to ear.

"Come on, let's get this over with." Rumald told her, leading her with an arm around her waist to the entrance hall, where Ruby waited for them. Beaming a smile, Ruby fell into step with them and halted with Belle, while Rumald quicken his pace to get the door for them. He opened the door wide for them, stepping aside to let them both go out the first. Belle glanced back, as she went down the steps of the porch with Ruby, listening to Rumald give his last instructions to Albert and Emma as he left the house.

Belle and Ruby crossed the front lawn to Albert's car and walked around it, whilst Belle looked back to see Rumald step off the last step of porch. A trace of a smile pulled at the corner of her lips, loving how handsome he looked. Ruby opened the door and folded the seat forward, slipping into the backseat. Standing in the opening of the passenger door, Belle gazed over the top of the car at Rumald crossing the lawn, waiting until he got to the car and flashed her a smile before she ducked into the car.


	54. Chapter 54

It did not take long for Rumald to drive them to the Rabbit Hole and pull up at the entrance of the bar, allowing them to get out of the car before he drove into the parking lot to park the car. Belle wanted to wait for Rumald, but Ruby insisted that they went inside without him, as she laced her arm with Belle's and took her inside. The bar was heaving with people, most of the tables had been taken and people lingered around the bar. It seemed karaoke night was a popular night in the Rabbit Hole.

"Belle! Ruby!" Someone called to them over the din. Ruby spotted whoever it was and dragged Belle in the direction the voice had come from. They excused themselves through the people mingling, side stepping their way through, to come to the table Mary-Margaret and David had claimed for their group.

Mary-Margaret waved her hand towards the bar, saying loudly. "Ashley and Sean are getting the drinks."

"Oh." Belle searched the sea of heads, trying to spot them at the bar.

A hand touched her lower back, instantly finding the spot it always touched, as Rumald came to stand beside her, frowning at the crowd. "We had to choose the busiest night to have this night out?"

"Would you rather we go to the old folk's home for bingo?" Ruby asked Rumald, giving him a cheeky smile over her shoulder.

"As long as they have blue jello." Rumald pulled a disgusted face as he replied to her question. "I hate it, when they serve the red jello."

Ruby laughed edging round the table to take a seat. "I prefer green."

"Rumald, Ashley and Sean have gone to the bar already to get drinks." Belle informed him, pointing towards the bar.

"Ashley and Sean Herman?" He questioned following her finger in the direction of the bar.

"Yeah." She replied leaning into him, selfishly taking a whiff of his aftershave.

Rumald turned back to them to ask. "Okay, so what do you and Ruby want to drink?"

"Woo-woo cocktail!" Ruby said loudly, already in a festive mood.

"Sweetheart?" Rumald beckoned her attention.

She frowned in thought, as she said to him. "Just get me… a… Yeah, get me a rum and coke."

Nodding his head, Rumald merged into the crowd and filtered his way to the bar. Belle lost sight of him the further he got to the bar. Taking a breath, she slipped onto the bench seat beside Ruby, shuffling round the circle table until her hip brushed up against Ruby's hip. The two shared a smile, as Mary-Margaret leant over David to tap the table in front of Belle.

"Belle," Mary-Margaret called. "I don't think you've met my husband, David."

David extended his hand towards Belle. "I think we've seen each other, but no formal introduction."

"No, no formal introduction." Belle said shaking David's hand. "I think I served you once or twice in the diner. Black coffee with two sugars."

"Good memory." David smiled at Belle, as a bottle of beer was placed onto the table between his arms.

Sean gave Mary-Margaret her drink, as he said. "That was good timing."

"What was?" Mary-Margaret asked and then attentively sipped at her brimmed drink, leaning over the table so she did not get it down her dress.

Ashley shifted around the seat to sit close beside Belle, as Sean sat onto the end of the bench seat saying. "Mr Gold just came over and paid for our drinks."

"Really?" David questioned after taking a swig from his beer.

"Yeah," Sean wiped his hand at something on the table in front of him, as he said. "Came over and told me to put my wallet away, as he pulled out his wallet."

"He can be nice." Belle threw her comment into the mix, while a small amount of annoyance with their comments weighing down on her eyebrows.

Ashley noticed the tone in Belle's voice, reaching under the table for Belle's hand, as she said. "Hey, we're just talking."

"He's never been nice to me." Sean commented and drank from his beer. The look Ashley shot to Sean was a look only a spouse or a partner would understand. At receiving the look from his wife, Sean held his hands up before placing his beer back down onto the table.

While they had their exchanged, Belle was breathing deeply and counted mentally in her head, easing her instinct to defend Rumald. It was not the first time and she knew it probably would not be the last time, when she would hear comments about Rumald and felt the need to protect him. No one knew him as she did. There were a few in town, who remembered what he was like before Milah broke him, but none of them knew the hurt he carried in his heart.

The glasses Rumald carried chinked as he carefully placed them down onto the table, the noise brought Belle's gaze up to his face. He smiled warmly at her, as he stretched across the table to place her drink in front of her. Belle reached out to her glass, her fingers brushed over his as they left her glass, the usual tingle travelled up her fingers when they touched. She needed to feel it, needed the strength he gave her. Rumald hung over the table, sensing something was wrong with a quizzical look on his face, beseeching her for an answer. Dismissing his concern with a shake of his head, she picked up her glass and sipped from it, holding his gaze as he gave Ruby her cocktail.

"So, who's going to be signing up for the karaoke?" Ruby asked everyone, thanking Rumald with a nod of her head, while she collected her drink from the table and slurped on the straw in her glass.

"David will." Mary-Margaret nominated her husband, touching his leg under the table. "He can't help himself."

"Neither can you." David laughed grasping his wife's hand on his leg and raised her hand up to kiss the back of it. Chuckling at Mary-Margaret and David, Belle observed Rumald asking a nearby table for the empty stool at their table. The person Rumald had asked jumped out of their skin and quickly offered the stool to Rumald. It saddened her to see the way people reacted to him.

Sean nudged Ashley, causing Ashley's shoulder to knock into Belle's, as he said. "You should see if they've got that shoop shoop song you like."

"No way, am I getting up there!" Ashley exclaimed shaking her head and sipped her drink.

"Oh, come on, Ashley." Ruby encouraged and then gestured to Mary-Margaret. "Me and Mary-Margaret will get up there with you. Might even get Belle to join us." She added nudging her elbow into Belle's side.

"I'm with Ashley, there's no way I'm getting up on that stage." Belle told them, while Rumald positioned the stool opposite her and sat down onto it, parting his waistcoat to his sides.

"What" Ruby smirked looking from Belle to Rumald across the table, who was sipping at his whiskey. "Even if Mr Gold was to get up there?"

Rumald lowered his glass from his lips, gracing his lips with a smile, as he said. "As much as everyone in this bar, would love to see me make a spectacle out of myself, I've no interest in gracing that stage myself either."

"Oh, come on, Mr Gold." Mary-Margaret cheered.

"This is supposed to be a friendly night out with Belle's friends." Rumald told them, placing his glass down onto the table. "You can call me Rumald."

Belle smiled over the table at him, delighted with the gesture he offered to everyone. Unbuttoning another button of his shirt, Rumald opened his collar out further, showing the skin on his chest was flushed. Her smile wavered slightly, realising Rumald was nervous being surrounded by her friends.

"I'm surprised, seeing as Belle says you sing." Ruby said after slurping on the straw in her cocktail.

"Did she now?" Rumald asked narrowing his eyes on Belle, making her blush with the intent of his gaze.

Mary-Margaret reached across the table to Rumald, but fell short of reaching his hand and laid her hand onto the table near him. "What are you into Rumald? Rock? Pop?" She paused in thought and said. "I bet you're into classical and opera."

"A mixed collection." He replied to her question, cocking his head to the side to look at Mary-Margaret from the corner of his eye.

"I'm a rock man, myself." David interjected and swigged his beer.

Sean sniggered. "And musicals."

A chorus of laughter erupted from the table, but Rumald remained stoic with his gaze returning to Belle across the table. Belle met his gaze, loving the openness he shared with her in that one look: love.

"Hey, boys and girls!" The waitress called to them, laying some pieces of paper down on the table, as she looked down at Rumald beside her. "Mr Gold, I'm surprised to see you here."

Rumald angled his head to look up at the young woman. The woman did not shy away from the cold look he gave her. Sean and David were both slyly eyeing the young woman, dressed to show off her assets to encourage the men to buy more drinks. Unflustered by her attire, Rumald picked up one of the sheets and began to read the list of songs, lifting his glass of whiskey to take a drink from it. Without knowing it, Rumald had given her the reassurance she needed to flick the demon off her shoulder, who was about to whisper into ear.

Ashley pointed to one of the songs on the list, angling herself to show the piece of paper to Sean, who was watching the waitress walk across to the next table. "Look, they've got our wedding song."

"Which song?" Ruby asked grabbing one of the lists.

"Aerosmith." Ashley replied, gushing at Sean beside her. "I don't want to miss a thing."

Whilst Ruby and Belle rolled their eyes at each other, Mary-Margaret awed their song choice and said. "Ours was John Lennon, oh my love."

"I like that song." Rumald commented, as he twirled his glass on the table.

"What was your wedding song, Rumald?" Sean asked with his bottle of beer hovering near his lips. Everyone around the table, apart from Rumald, shot a pointed look at Sean, which he ignored, as Rumald slowly turned his head to look at Sean. The look Rumald gave Sean worried Belle, tensing her shoulders.

Rumald turned his gaze away from Sean and lifted his glass towards his lips, as he said. "Joe Cocker, you're so beautiful."

"I find that such a sad song." Mary-Margaret commented.

Ashley sighed before she said. "I bet it was perfect for your first dance."

Belle did not like the direction that the conversation had taken. Thinking of Rumald with Milah gave an invitation for her demon to rear its ugly head. As they chatted about which song was the best wedding song, Belle gulped down the majority of her rum and coke, leaving only a mouthful in the bottom of her glass. Swishing the last of her rum and coke around the bottom of her glass, she ignored the conversation, as they shared stories of how couples met, and downed the last of her drink.

"Belle, do you want another one?" Rumald asked across the table, interrupting the conversation.

"Actually, can you get me a beer and a whiskey chaser?" She said back to him, disowning her glass to the table.

Rumald stood from his stool, asking the table. "Anybody else?"

A chorus of 'same again' came from everyone before Rumald excused himself to go to the bar. A lot of the crowd had dispersed, crowding around the stage area, waiting for the first victim of the karaoke. Belle was able to see Rumald at the bar, his back to her, as he stood waiting with his hand in his pocket and the other rested on the bar. She noticed his hair was greyer than when they first met, but she did not mind it. Looks were not important to her, but she did have to admit he looked very dashing where he stood at the bar.

Ruby knocked her elbow into Belle's side, as she shifted to get her ringing phone out of her bag. The knock drew Belle away from admiring Rumald to watch Ruby answer her phone.

"Hey, where are you?" Ruby asked, her eyes searching the bar. "Yeah, I see you." She waved at someone and smiled at whoever it was. Trying to follow Ruby's gaze, Belle leaned forward to see a guy coming towards their table. Belle presumed it was Will, Ruby's date for the night. He did not look like Ruby's usual type. Normally they were the bad boys, covered in tattoos or piercings. Apart from his leather jacket, he looked more like the type of man Belle would date, rather than her best friend.

"David, let me out." Ruby ordered, scooting towards David on the seat, persuading him with a push in his ribs.

"Hi." The man greeted with his eyes on Ruby as she smiled up at him, finally freed from the table when Mary-Margaret and David had gotten out of the way. They all watched as Ruby kissed the man and smiled at him.

"Everyone," Ruby slid her arm around the man's waist, saying. "This is Will."

Will turned his face into Ruby ignoring everyone's hellos to whisper into Ruby's ear to make her giggle. Seeing their interaction made Belle raise an eyebrow at them. In the months she had known Ruby, she had never known her to introduce her boyfriends to her friends. The only reason Belle had met a few of them, was when they had awkwardly met in the morning when they had been leaving Ruby's room, bumping into Belle in the hallway. He must mean something to Ruby for her to introduce him to her friends.

"Belle." Ruby gestured towards Belle over the table. Hearing her name, Belle smiled and stood as much as she could with the table in her way, offering her hand over the table to Will. He took her hand and shook it, leaving Belle's hand clammy. Sitting back down, Belle covertly wiped her hand on her dress whilst Will moved on to shake David and Mary-Margaret's hands.

The waitress from earlier excused herself through Belle's friends, sliding a tray of drinks onto the table. Belle frowned as the waitress placed a beer and shot glass in front of her, and held a folded napkin towards Belle. Taking it from her, Belle thanked her and unfolded it to find it was a note from Rumald.

' _Need some fresh air. I won't be long. I love you.'_

A chorus of cheers and applause came from the stage area, as someone took to the stage and a song started to play from the speakers, which were dotted around the bar. Clutching Rumald's note, Belle picked up her shot as Mary-Margaret slid along the seat to sit beside her. She knocked back the shot, cringing at the after taste of whiskey and the singing that escaped the speakers. Squinting her eyes at the pain of listening to whoever it was singing, Belle was glad she did not feel compel to embarrass herself like the fool on the stage.

"I didn't realise we would be strangling cats tonight." Belle commented to everyone, placing her empty shot glass onto the table.

"Don't be so hard on them." Ashley defended.

Mary-Margaret leaned over to Belle. "I think its Doctor Hopper."

"Really?" Ashley questioned raising herself up to try and see who was on the stage.

Belle swigged from her beer, watching Ruby and Will whispering to each other, smiling and chuckling. The two were behaving as though they were the only ones at the table. Smiling at Ruby's obvious happiness, Belle hoped Ruby would be able to find something similar to what Belle had found with Rumald. As she thought about Rumald, she found herself missing him. She opened her hand to look down at the napkin he had sent her and unscrewed it to stare at where he had written 'I love you'. Those three words had been thrown around so much that week, they had become as normal as sleepily greeting one another in the morning.

Looking round the table, she knew she would rather be outside with Rumald, than sat with her friends listening to whoever was singing. She grabbed her beer from the table and excused herself to Ashley, gesturing that she wanted out from the table. Ashley touched Sean's arm, who was entranced by whoever was on the stage, making him jump before she told him to get up. They moved out of the way and Belle scooted out from the table, smiling her thanks to them as she wandered off to find Rumald.

She stuck her head out the door to the outside sitting area, finding Rumald sat on top of a wooden table, his feet on the bench seat attached to the table, as he stared up into the night sky. Ambling her way to him, when she was near enough to him, she slid her hand onto his shoulder and swung round the bench to stand in front of him.

"Hey, sweetheart." He said glancing from her to the door into the bar, and back to her. "You didn't need to come out here. Go back and be with your friends. I was going to come in soon."

"I'm not stupid, you're not enjoying yourself." Belle told him.

Rumald smirked at her, as he twisted to get his glass of whiskey behind him. "It's not about me. They're your friends. Go and enjoy yourself."

"That's the thing, you see," Belle knelt onto the bench seat between his feet, as he drank from his whiskey. "I'm not enjoying myself." She told him, reaching over his leg to place her bottle of beer on the table.

"I'm sorry I just needed some fresh air. I'm not used to being social." He apologised putting his glass beside her beer.

"Rumald, you've got nothing to be sorry about." She informed him, clasping her hands either side of his face.

A confused look swept over his face, as he studied her. "I feel I should be, since we're supposed to be out with your friends and now you're out here with me."

"I'm out here with you, because I'd rather be with you." Belle told him, brushing her thumbs over his cheek.

"You'll never know, how much it means to me, to hear you say that." He muttered dropping his head down to look away from her face, feeling sorry for himself. She raised his face up and kissed him softly, mixing the taste of his whiskey with the taste of her beer. His hands glided over her dress, one travelled up her back to press between her shoulder blades while the other hovered over her backside. The dull ache from her knees disturbed her, but she would not allow it to ruin her moment with him. He needed her as much as she needed him. 

Songs mentioned: Aerosmith – I Don't Want to Miss a Thing  
John Lennon – Oh My Love  
Joe Cocker – You Are So Beautiful


	55. Chapter 55

A couple of weeks had gone by since their night out with Belle's friends. They had gone back inside the bar for a bit, finishing their drinks and watching another victim, and then excused themselves to head home. In the weeks since then, life had been normal for them, business as usual in the Gold household. Some might say their life was boring. Spending evenings in together, never seen without the other unless they were at work or popping out to get something from the grocery store. And Belle would have it no other way.

This was her life now. This was their life.

That was until she was tidying their bedroom one Saturday morning, whilst Rumald and Albert had gone fishing, and pulled out Rumald's bedside draw to put his book away. Sat in the middle of the draw, ready to slap her in the face, was the black velvet ring box. Slowly she reached into the draw and plucked out the ring box, perching herself onto the edge of his side of the bed. He had not brought it up again, but she knew he itched to put the ring on her finger. His thumb always rubbed over her ring finger, when they held hands or were relaxing on the couch together, or laid in bed together.

She carefully lifted the lid on the ring box and stroked her finger over the diamond, glistening in the poor light of their bedroom. Pinching the ring by its gold band, Belle removed it from the ring box and held it up into the light. The ring was elegant and eye catching with a delicate sized diamond. Belle placed the ring box beside her and slid the ring onto her finger, and held her hand out to admire how it looked on her hand. It fitted her finger perfectly, as though it was made for her. The ring was not lost or overpowered her hand, it was… flawless.

As she slid it back off her finger, Belle stopped with it just on the tip of her finger, trying to figure out why she had not said yes to him yet. Her heart ached for her to slide it back onto her finger, even if it was just to feel the cool metal band around her finger again. With a heavy sigh, Belle removed it from her finger and firmly pressed it back into the ring box. Reluctantly, she placed it back exactly where it had been in his draw and shut it. Belle placed his book on top of his bedside instead of placing it in his draw, where he usually kept it. Her eyes could not leave his draw, knowing it was in there, as she stood up from the bed and collected the basket of dirty clothes. She tore her eyes away from the draw to sweep the room, as she crossed to the door to leave, but paused in the doorway to look at his bedside one last time.

Her thoughts were solely on the black velvet ring box, as she descended the stairs to the entrance hall with the basket of dirty washing sat on her hip. She could feel the ghost of the ring on her ring finger. When she stepped off the last step, it was then Belle noticed she had been rubbing her thumb, where she felt the ghost ring on her finger. She frowned down at her finger as she went through the kitchen to the patio doors, exiting through the open doorway to cross to the garage.

Entering the garage, Belle ambled over to the washer and dryer on the opposite wall, and tossed the contents of the basket onto the counter beside them. She dropped the basket onto the floor in front of the dryer and opened the lid on it to gather Albert's clothes out of it, letting them fall into the basket below. No matter how much she tried to think of something, other than the ring box upstairs, her thoughts constantly went back to it. As she flicked the lid up on the washer, she cursed herself for not saying 'yes' when he asked her.

After sorting through the washing and setting the machines off, Belle exited the garage closing the door behind her. Her pace was slow as she went back into the house and headed back up the stairs to deliver Albert's folded clothes to his bedroom. She left his clothes on his desk and left his room to pause in the hallway, her eyes trailing down the hallway to their bedroom door. The longer she stood there, the more her heart and head urged her to run down the hallway and into their bedroom, so she could shove his ring onto her finger. It did not matter to her, if that ring had once been Rumald's engagement ring to Milah or not, as she suspected, it was what he had gone to get back from Milah. Belle wanted the promise that came with the ring. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

A smile pulled tightly at her lips, as she went down the stairs with the empty basket, developing a scheme as she entered the kitchen. Abandoning the basket to the breakfast table, Belle headed over to the planner on the fridge, checking to see if Rumald was playing poker that night. She tapped her finger happily on the empty square for that day. Now all she had to do was figure out what she was going to do with Albert, but she was afraid that would have to wait until they came home from fishing.

The afternoon went by slowly. To try to take her mind off things, Belle sat in the living room with some music playing quietly out of the sound system, whilst she laid back on the couch reading a book. Her ears pricked at the laughter she heard outside. Stuffing her page marker into the book, Belle left her book on the couch and clambered off the couch to jog through into the kitchen. She peered out the kitchen window, watching Albert and Rumald traipsed up the driveway to the garage, arms full with fishing gear. Biting her lower lip, Belle pushed herself away from the window ledge and hurried back into the living room, dropping her full weight onto the couch.

She was posed with her book in front of her, faking she was reading it, when she heard them coming into the house. Her chest felt tight as she breathed, waiting expectantly for Albert or Rumald to come out of the kitchen into the entrance hall. A relief washed over her, when Albert came out of the kitchen, his hand reached out to the banister of the stairs as he went to run upstairs.

"Hey, Bae!" Belle called.

He stopped with his foot on the first step and looked at her in the living room. "Hey!" Albert greeted stepping off the stairs to come into the living room. "You should have seen the fish I caught. It was this big!" He emphasised the size by holding out his arms.

"Great!" She remarked shoving her marker back in her book and beckoned him to come to her, saying in a whisper. "Come here."

"What's up?" Albert asked flopping onto the couch beside her.

"What are you…" Belle was interrupted by Rumald shouting from the kitchen. "Tea?"

"Yes, please." She shouted back and turned her attention back to Albert, lowering her voice so only he could hear her. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing. Dad was talking about going to the movies, if you were interested." He told her, scrunching his face up, confused by her unusual behaviour.

"Can you go round Emma's instead?" She asked leaning into him, her voice lowering further to prevent Rumald from hearing.

Albert frowned at her, her face mere inches from his, as he whispered back to her. "Why are we whispering?"

"There's something I need to tell your father and I'd rather we be alone." She said to him, her eyes watching the doorway.

"Are you pregnant!" His voice boomed straight down her ear, causing her to jolt away from him and press her fingers into her hurt ear.

"No!" Belle hissed at him, grabbing hold of his jacket, as she heard Rumald's muffled voice in the kitchen, requesting to know who's pregnant. "Nobody!"

"You're not pregnant?" Albert asked in a quieter voice.

"No, I'm not pregnant." She told him watching the doorway.

He pondered over her original question and said. "I could take Emma to the movies, I suppose."

"Can you stay round there tonight?" Belle requested looking him dead in the eye.

"You're starting to worry me." Albert stated to her, unzipping his jacket.

"It's nothing to worry about, Bae." She told him with her features softening to him and reached up to touch his face, as she added. "I'm going to give him his answer."

"Answer to what?" He squinted his eyes at her.

Belle smiled at him. "The answer."

"Answer…?" Albert muttered before a smile slowly pulled at the corner of his lips, but it stopped when his thoughts caught up with him. "I take it, it's a yes?"

She nodded her head excitedly at him and gasped when Albert threw himself at her, hugging her in a death grip. Her excitement she had managed to keep bottled all afternoon, threatened to spill over with Albert bouncing them up and down on the couch, which creaked under the strain of their combine weight. Starting to feel light headed, Belle clung onto his jacket to ground herself, smiling into his shoulder as he babbled into her ear how happy he was.

"Okay, did I miss something?" Rumald asked coming into the room, carrying two cups of tea. They sobered quickly hearing Rumald's voice and parted to look at him, as he placed the two cups down onto the coffee table.

"No, no." Belle said beaming a smile up at Rumald, as he stood waiting for an answer with his hands on his hips. "I was just telling him, one of the books he wanted will be in the library on Monday."

Rumald laughed dropping his hands from his hips. "I've never known him to get excited about a book. A game, yes. Not a book."

"Well… It's a book based on one of my games." Albert said in an unsure tone, looking to Belle for reassurance.

"Yeah, it's a background story to one of his Call of Duty games." She informed Rumald, squeezing Albert's knee.

"Anyway, thank you for ordering my book, Belle." Albert said standing up from the couch and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I'm going to see if Emma wants to do something tonight."

As Albert was leaving the room, Rumald turned following Albert out of the room. "Hey, I thought we were going to the movies?"

"Sorry, dad, but I think I already arranged to do something with Emma." Albert said pausing in the entrance hall before running up the stairs to his room. Watching Rumald's shoulders fall, Belle felt guilt watching him turn around to shuffle over to the couch, sitting down beside her. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it up in the wake of his hand for it to fall back perfectly into place.

"Guess, hanging with dad is a no, no, these days." He told her in a sad tone, letting his hand fall down into his lap.

"Hey," Belle called shifting closer to him, taking his hand from his lap. "You know that isn't true."

Rumald shrugged his eyebrows at her comment and sat forward to collect their teas, asking. "So, what would you like to do tonight? Since it's probably going to be just the two of us."

She could not help the grin that spread over her lips, taking her tea from him when he offered the handle of her cup to her. "How about… We order some dinner from Fazoli's," He raised an eyebrow at her suggestion. "Get some bottles of wine from the basement," Rumald turned his face towards her and away from his tea, he held ready to take a sip. "And we make the most of being on our own tonight?"

"Bottles?" He repeated with a suggestive grin. "I might think you're trying to get me drunk, Miss French."

"One can only hope, Mr Gold." She told him watching him over the rim of her cup and blew over her hot tea. His chuckle made his eyes twinkle, as he relaxed back into the couch and perched his feet up onto the coffee table.


	56. Chapter 56

Rumald was upstairs in his study, sorting through some paperwork whilst they waited for their meal to arrive from Fazoli's. Making the most of his absence, Belle had set the dining room table for the two of them and placed two candles between their place settings. She stood back to eye over the table and leant forward to straighten a knife that was slightly out of line. Happy with the table, Belle exited the dining room and went into the kitchen, checking the time with the clock on the wall. Their dinner was due to arrive in half an hour. Stroking her fingers through her hair, Belle leant against the kitchen island, trying to think what else would make their evening special.

She smiled at Albert's parting words of encouragement before he left to meet Emma at the movies. His words had touched her, but they were not needed. It was not as if she did not know how Rumald felt about it. She could only imagine how he had felt, when he planned their trip to the cabin. Nervous what her answer would be, as he spent a month planning what he was going to say, where and when he was going to ask. How he was able to keep it to himself amazed her. Belle knew if it had been the other way round, she would have blurted it out to him at the first opportunity that had presented itself to her.

Deciding to open a bottle of wine, Belle moved over to the fridge to open it and selected one of the bottles from the top shelf. The fridge door shut with a soft thud, as she shuffled over to the cutlery draw and opened it to take out the bottle opener. She peeled the foil from around the top of the bottle, loving his impeccable taste in wine. Not one bottle she had tried from his collection in the basement did she dislike. As she positioned the bottle opener over the cork, Belle bit her lip thinking of the first bottle of wine they had shared together and removed the cork from the bottle with a loud plop. It was sad there were no more bottles left from the year she liked, but Rumald had promised to procure some more for her. She crossed to a cabinet and selected two wine glasses from it, and returned to the open bottle of wine to fill the two glasses.

Belle grabbed one of the glasses of wine and carried it up the stairs, sauntering down the hallway to the end of it, where she found the door to his study wide open. Leaning against the doorframe to his study, she admired him from afar, hunched over his desk with his head propped in the palm of his hand, his fingers buried into his hair. He had not changed when he got home with Albert, still wearing his jeans and dark checker shirt, tucked into the waist of his jeans. She smiled as he mumbled to himself, unaware she was watching him, as he wrote onto the notepad beside the piece of paper he was reading.

Entering the room, Belle said to him. "Thought you might like some wine."

He looked up at her without moving his head, a serious scowl on his face before he smiled and sat back into his chair. "I wouldn't say no."

"What are you working on?" She asked coming around his desk to hand the wine glass to him, scrutinising the papers he had scattered about his desk.

"It's just something Gladius asked me to look over." Rumald said taking the offered glass of wine. He sipped the cold wine, closing his eyes as he savoured the taste. Unable to help herself, Belle ran her fingers through his hair, dragging her fingernails over his scalp. Resting his head against the back of his chair, a hushed groan escaped through his parted lips as Belle's nails continued to plough through his hair. She loved she had such power over him; a simple touch could render him motionless or erupt a fire deep inside of him. Belle was not foolish though. She knew he had the same power over her, crumbling her resolve with a brush of his fingers or grating his stubble over her bare shoulder in the morning, could have her begging him for much more than just a kiss.

They both looked to his study doorway, faintly hearing the front doorbell. Rumald went to stand up, but Belle stopped him by letting her hand fall onto his shoulder. A confused look came over his face as he looked up at her, sitting down into his chair.

"I'll call you when I've served it." Belle told him with a sweet smile and kissed his forehead.

"Okay." He replied slowly returning her smile, as she left the room. Quickly trotting down the hallway in her heels, Belle carefully walked down the stairs and yanked open the front door, greeting one of the waiters from Fazoli's. The young man was very uncertain standing on their doorstep, clutching a box in his arms. Sharing a smile with him, he offered the box of food towards her, his eyes sheepishly dotted around the house behind her. She slid her arms under the box and removed it from his arms, and watched the young man jog down the stairs and away from their house to his car at the end of the drive.

Perplexed still by the effect Rumald's reputation had on people, she pushed the door close with her shoulder and carried the box into the kitchen, sliding it onto a counter. She collected two dinner plates and dished up their meal with a happy smile on her face. Their dinner was steaming as she picked up their plates and carried them into the dining room, placing Rumald's at the head of the table and hers to his left. With everything set, Belle grabbed the matches she had left on the table and lit the candles.

Belle clapped her hands together at the sight before her, and her excitement, and skipped out of the dining room into the living room. Standing in front of the sound system, she pressed play on the CD she had Albert make her earlier and headed upstairs, chuckling to herself as she went down the hallway to his study. She brushed herself up against the doorframe, her cheek pressed to the cool wood, with her hands holding her steady.

"Dinner's ready." Belle informed him, as he sipped at his wine glass and flicked through the papers on his desk.

"Okay, I'm coming." He told her distantly, squinting as he read on one of the pages in his hand.

Her eyebrow raised at him. "Rumald." She called to him, gaining his attention from the piece of paper. "Dinner."

"Okay, sweetheart." Rumald smiled, as he let the papers fall from his hand to the desk and stood up from his desk to meet her in the doorway. His hand reached up to brush the back of his fingers over her cheek, whilst he came to a stop beside her. Belle pivoted round and leant back, the hard wood of the doorframe pressed into her back. His fingers trailed over her skin, giving her a craving for more than just dinner, as his fingers traced up behind her ear, cupping her face as he inclined himself to kiss her. The taste of the wine and the smell of his aftershave intoxicated her, smothering her senses.

"I love you." He told her after parting their lips, his thumb stroke over her cheek.

The smile she showed him could only be described as a lovesick fool, as she returned his affection. "I love you too."

His hand fell down to take position on her side, guiding her down the hallway with him following behind her. She glanced at him over her shoulder, while he finished the last of the wine in his glass. As they passed their bedroom door, Belle nearly forgot the most important ingredient for the night: the ring.

Stumbling to a halt with him, Belle turned to face him, placing her hand on his chest. "You go downstairs. I'll be there in a minute."

"Why does it feel like you're up to something?" Rumald asked her, his eyes narrowing to study her face.

"The only thing I'm up to is trying to have a nice evening with my boyfriend." She assured him, lifting her hand from his chest to touch his cheek, and bit her lower lip.

His thumb pressed her lower lip, rescuing her lip from the torture of her upper teeth, popping it out as he said. "Now I know you're up to something, dearie."

"Rumald…" Belle mumbled his name, losing her voice and herself into the dark pools of his eyes, as he stepped into her, the warmth of his breath washed over her face and neck prickling her skin. "What are you up to, dearie?"

Swallowing to gain her composure, Belle told him. "Nothing. I just want to get out of my heels."

"If you say so, sweetheart." He said to her, a knowing look on his face as Rumald shifted pass her to go downstairs. Watching him go, Belle waited until he was out of sight and slipped into their bedroom, chastising herself as she kicked her heels across the room. She padded over the floor to his bedside and opened the draw of his bedside to collect the ring box from the draw. Carefully clasping it between her fingers, Belle pushed his draw shut and stood up straight beside their bed, her eyes on the black box in her hand.

A troublesome thought squashed her eyebrows together, while she ran her eyes over herself: Where was she going to put it?

Her skirt had no pockets. Her blouse fitted her, so hiding it in her blouse would be very obvious. With no other choice, Belle slid her hand behind her into the waistband of her skirt and perched the ring box between herself and the waist of her skirt. Letting go of the waistband, she jiggled herself to see if it would fall and was pleasantly surprised when it stayed pressed into her lower back. The ring box bore into her back, as she walked sedately out of their bedroom and down the hallway, her pace slower than it usually would be. She let a slow breath out as she descended the stairs, bearing in mind the ring box with each jolt down the stairs. Getting down the stairs without it moving too much, Belle congratulated herself with a toothy grin while she waltzed into the kitchen, finding Rumald at the counter pouring himself another glass.

"Better?" He asked without looking up from his glass, as he poured the wine into it.

"Much." Belle answered, stopping on the other side of the counter, and acquired her full glass from the counter.

Rumald perched one of his hands onto the counter and picked up his glass, raising an eyebrow at her, as he said. "Still feels like you're trying to get something out of this old beast."

"I've told you," Belle said with an undertone of annoyance. "I just want to have a nice evening with my boyfriend. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I'm just not used to…" He wavered and put his glass back down on the counter between them. "I'm sorry, I'm not being fair to you." Rumald told her, bowing his head down.

"What? What do you mean?" She asked seeking his hand over the counter and placed her hand on top of his hand.

"No, I'm ruining it. Come, let's go eat dinner and forget it." Rumald snatched his glass up from the counter and started to march off towards the dining room.

Belle caught him at the end of the counter, freezing him when her hand touched his upper arm. "Please, tell me."

He closed his eyes and breathed heavily out of his nose with his shoulders falling in defeat, as he said. "It's not fair because I'm comparing you to Milah." Rumald paused, cracking his eyes open to gage her reaction. "She used to do things like this before dropping a bombshell on me. Another debt to pay for her. Something she wanted me to buy."

"I'm not Milah, Rumald." She grasped his upper arm. "I wouldn't do anything like that to you."

"I know. I really do." He raised his hand holding his wine glass and pointed his finger towards his head. "It's just in here." Rumald admitted to her, a sad look in his eyes.

Belle stepped closer to him, moving her hand from his arm to touch his face, telling him. "When I do things like this for you, I'm not doing it to get something out of you. I'm doing it because I love you and I want it to be special."

"It's always special with you though." He said with arm slipping around her, his hand gently splayed over her lower back. Her eyes widened briefly, before she got control over herself and smiled at him, brushing her thumb over his cheek. She could tell by the look on his face, he had saw the anxiety in her eyes, but carried on regardless by pirouetting around him and away from his hand, gesturing with her finger for him to follow her.

"Come on, Mr Gold." She lured him, walking backwards to the doorway to the dining room. Rumald regarded her but followed her into the dining room without any resistance. Keeping her back away from him, Belle reversed out of his way, revealing the sight of the table to him as he came into the room. He seemed to stumble as he came into the room, thrown by the picture that was presented to him, draped in candlelight.

"I'm a sure bet, you know?" He joked gesturing towards the table.

A wicked grin crept over her lips, as she slipped closer to him, brushing herself against his back as she whispered suggestively up to his ear. "Depends if I want desert."

Rumald crooked his head to see her over his shoulder, returning her grin as he said. "Dearie, you always want desert."

"We'll see…" Belle trailed her voice off purposely, loving the reaction on his face as her voice purred.

He flung his hand towards the table, as he stepped over to it, saying. "If you carry on like that, we'll be skipping dinner and going straight to desert on this table."

"Wouldn't be the first time." She countered pulling out her chair to sit down at the table, blatantly aware of the ring box digging into her back. As he shook his head chuckling, taking the seat at the head of the table, Belle sneakily plucked the ring box out from the waistband of her skirt and delivered it onto the chair beside her. With a giggle, she delivered her glass to the table and scooted her chair closer, happier now the ring box was not stuck in her back, consciously reminding her of it presence.

Rumald held his wine glass up, proposing a toast with his glass, as he said. "To us."

Picking her glass back up from the table, Belle chinked her glass with his and repeated his toast. "To us."

They smiled and watched each other over the rim of their glasses, whilst they drank their wine. An amiable silence fell over them, as they picked up their forks and dug into the cooling food. Rumald rocked back and forth in his seat, his foot was beating out the rhythm of the song onto the floor. Pleased with herself, Belle watched him out of the corner of her eye, sliding her fork out of her mouth. She would often hear him in the morning, singing to himself in the shower, forgetting she was asleep in the other room.

"I just thought," Rumald said with his foot stilling under the table. "Christmas is nearly two months away."

"Flown by this year." Belle commented to him, twisting her spaghetti onto her fork.

He chuckled at her comment before he said. "Yeah, hence my sudden thought. I got to try and think what to get you."

"I have a suggestion." She said lowering her fork to her plate, taking advantage of their conversation.

"Don't you think you've got enough books?" He questioned, motioning towards the full bookcase at the other end of the room.

Belle shook her head and slipped her hand under the table to retrieve the ring box. "No, I don't want any more books. I got all the books I want in the library."

"Good," He scoffed scooping a forkful of his dinner. "Otherwise, I'll have to extend the house to build you a library."

"Can we?" She asked distracted by the idea of having a library in her own home.

"No! I'd never see you!" Rumald shook his head and delivered his forkful of food into his mouth.

"Oh…" Belle pouted her lips at him, forgetting about the ring box in her lap. "But I've always wanted a library of my own."

His eyebrows scrunched down over his eyes, as he said. "You've got the school's library and the town's library at your disposal. Why on earth would you need a library at home?"

"Because it would be mine and no one could ever take it away from me." She confessed to him, gazing down at the ring box in her lap as she smoothed her thumb over the velvet material.

"Was that your suggestion?" He asked stroking his thumb and forefinger, up and down the stem of his glass.

Belle blinked her eyes rapidly, bringing herself back to the scheme in between her hands. "No."

"What do you suggest I get you for Christmas then?" Rumald questioned, picking up his glass from the table to take a sip from it.

"Well… I would like you to" Belle was cut off when Rumald's phone started ringing.

Rolling his eyes, he placed his glass down onto the table and dug his phone out of his jeans pocket, answering with a brisk. "Gold."

Her eyes fell to the velvet ring box, burning her fingertips as she anxiously toyed with it between her fingers, listening to Rumald. "What?"

She glanced up from the ring box to him, frowning when she saw his shoulders stiffen and his face scrunch at whatever someone was telling him. If she did not know any better, she would bet, he was talking to Milah or someone was talking about Milah to him.

"When?" Rumald asked hunching forward over the table, bracing himself on his elbows. "Is it serious?"

Belle raised her eyebrows at his question, suddenly worried the conversation was about Albert, as Rumald said. "How long does she have?"

"Okay, I'll get a plane as soon as I can." He told whoever it was on the other end of the phone, kicking the chair out from underneath himself as he hung up the phone. Before Belle had a chance to ask what was wrong, Rumald had left the room in a hurry, running out of dining room into the kitchen. Baffled she pulled her chair out from underneath her and staggered after him into the kitchen, just in time to see him thunder his way up the stairs.

"Rumald!" She called after him, still clutching the ring box in her hand. Through the floor, Belle heard his feet pound around upstairs. Intrigue by his strange behaviour, she raced up the stairs to see him come out of his study, shoving something into his back pocket as he went into their bedroom. Nearing the doorway to their bedroom, Belle could hear draws being yanked open and slammed closed. When she was about to enter the room, Rumald pushed pass her with an apology thrown over his shoulder, jogging back down the hallway to, near enough, jump down the stairs.

"Rumald!" Belle shouted and chased after him, coming down the stairs in time to see him come out of the kitchen, a bag in hand whilst he shoved his wallet into pocket, his keys jangled from the force.

"I'll call you." He told her snatching the door open and slammed it behind himself. Stood on the stairs, Belle stared at the front door, disbelieving how their evening had ended. Running her fingers through her hair, she descended the stairs and looked through the glass of the front door to see Rumald's car race off down the street, his Cadillac not used to harsh treatment. No longer able to see his car, Belle's gaze fell to the velvet box still held in her hand.

Songs: Jason Mraz – I Won't Give up (Rumald singing in the shower)


	57. Chapter 57

The rain pelted against the window of their bedroom, pouring cats and dogs down over Storybrooke. Perched on the window ledge, Belle gazed distantly out of the window, watching the grey clouds roll over the town. Her phone was cradled in her lap, forgotten after hearing his voicemail for the hundredth time. She had tried calling him endlessly after he left the house, leaving voicemail after voicemail, message after message. Whatever had happened, he was not sharing with her, leaving her in the dark and isolating her away from it. On purpose or not, did not matter with the heaviness weighing down on her. She wanted to help him, needed to be there for him.

She had spent most of the morning sat on the window ledge, imploring Rumald to come home or at least call her to tell her everything was all right. The longer she did not hear from him, the more she delved deeper into the sadness, which had hung over her since he had left the night before. Belle dropped her hand down from her forehead and pressed a button on her phone to make the screen light up, checking to see if there were any messages but mostly to see her background picture. Slowly her lips drew into a half-hearted smile, loving the picture of him resting his head on her shoulder, hugging her from behind, as she had snapped the picture of them. Nothing special had happened the day she took the picture, just a normal day where they had been wandering a local antiques fair for new things for Rumald's shop. However, the memory of him cuddling up behind her, placing a gentle kiss to her cheek, as she had positioned her phone ready to capture them, warmed her heart every time. It was the first picture of them together.

As the screen darkened on her phone, Belle's head snapped to look in the direction of their bedroom door, hearing the front door open. Jumping off the window ledge, she headed out of the bedroom at a quick pace, reaching the top of the stairs to see Albert and Emma in the entrance hall below. Her disappointment pulled heavily at her shoulders. Her lips pouted as she trudged her way down the stairs to greet them, mentally telling herself not the cry.

"Hey!" Emma said cheerfully, spotting Belle coming down the stairs, but at seeing Belle's face, the smile the young woman had shown Belle seeped away.

Albert spun round, when he heard Emma greet Belle, and wore a concerned look on his face as his eyes considered her. "What's happened?"

"You've not heard from your father, then?" She asked him, having hoped Albert might have heard from Rumald.

"No," Albert's eyebrows pressed down over his eyes, as he stepped towards her, meeting her on the last step of the stairs. "Has something happened between you and dad?"

"No, no. Nothing to do with us." Belle shook her head at him as she spoke, hugging her arms around herself.

Albert pulled his phone out of his pocket, as he asked. "Then what?"

"I don't know." She told him, shrugging her shoulder's at his question. "One minute we were having dinner and I was about to ask him to propose again, when his phone rung. From what I heard, something has happened to a woman your dad knows and he ran out of here."

"Really?" He questioned tapping at his phone and held his phone to his ear.

"I've tried calling him, it kept going to voicemail." Belle informed him, shuffling past him to go into the kitchen.

Emma trailed behind Belle, asking. "He just ran out of here?"

"He said he was going to catch a plane." She shared with Emma, grabbing the kettle out of its stand to fill at the sink.

"Catch a plane?" Albert repeated coming into the kitchen, his phone still held to his ear. "The dial tone is weird… Hang on." They watched him hang up his phone before he sprinted off up the stairs, his feet pounding down on the wooden staircase. As Belle placed the kettle onto its stand and clicked it on to boil, Albert thundered his way back down the stairs and rushed into the kitchen with his laptop in his hands.

"I'll look to see where his phone is." He told them, carefully placing his laptop down onto the breakfast table, dragging a seat out to sit down. Emma went over and joined him at the table, taking a seat beside him, whilst Belle hovered around in the kitchen with an arm hugging herself, as she bit down onto her thumbnail. Observing his fingers tap on the keys of his laptop and stroke over the touchpad, Belle waited patiently for Albert to do whatever he was doing.

The kettle began to boil behind her. She grabbed a cup from the cupboard and threw a teabag into it before pouring the boiling hot water into her cup. As Belle waltzed around the kitchen island and the counter that divided the kitchen, she came to stand behind Albert and Emma, as they studied the screen of his laptop. He clicked and furiously typed into his laptop, and then sat back waiting for the screen to load. A white screen flashed up before a world map appeared. Intrigued, Belle stepped closer and watched as the map zoomed in over the United Kingdom. It further zoomed in and the map shifted to hover over Scotland, further zooming in to show Glasgow on the map.

"What's he doing in Glasgow?" Albert asked frowning at his laptop, whilst the map zoomed in further to show a blue dot sat on top of building marked Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

As they all studied the map on the screen with the blue dot flickering to different spots of the hospital, the doorbell rang. Glancing to the door and back to the laptop screen, Belle edged herself away from the laptop and went to the front door to open it. She opened the door and found Gladius on the other side of the door. The older woman flashed a welcoming smile at Belle, as Gladius stepped into the house.

"Rumald about?" Gladius asked as she peered through into the kitchen and called to Emma and Albert. "Hey, kids."

"Grandma," Albert leant back in his chair, straining his neck to see her in the entrance hall. "Dad's in Glasgow."

"Why?" Gladius questioned them as she walked through into the kitchen and stopped behind Albert, placing her hand on his shoulder as she raised her eyebrows at the map on the screen.

"He got a phone call last night from someone and quickly left. Didn't say why." Belle shared with Gladius as she came to stand beside the older woman, clutching her warm tea between her hands.

Gladius scowled at the screen before her eyebrows pushed up her forehead, a moment of clarity washed over her face, as she told them. "His aunt has been very ill. Cancer or something terminal like that."

"Aunt Josey?" Albert inquired, tilting his head back to see Gladius behind him.

"Yes, Albert." Gladius squeezed his shoulder and turned her attention to Belle. "She must be dying, if he's gone. I know it broke his heart, when he couldn't be there when his aunt Eleanor died."

"Eleanor?" Belle raised a quizzical eyebrow at the name, never hearing Rumald mention either name.

Albert bent his head forward, looking back to the screen of his laptop, as he said. "She died after I was born."

"You remember when I told you Rumald had to spend a week in Scotland, two months after Albert was born?" Gladius asked, receiving a nod from Belle, and said. "His aunt Eleanor died from a heart attack and he went back for the funeral."

"Was he close to his aunts?" Belle asked and sipped at her drink, watching the blue dot on the screen.

"Very close. They were the only ones that took care of him, as Malcolm has no time for him, unless Rumald is doing his father's bidding. Too busy blaming him for the death of Rumald's mother." Gladius shared with Belle, giving her a lopsided smile.

Albert twisted in his chair, looking up at his grandmother, as he queried what Gladius had said. "Dad said she died giving birth to him, so how can grandpa blame dad?"

Gladius stroked her thumb over Albert's face. "Love does weird and wonderful things to people, but it also makes some people stupid."

"Has your dad ever had it easy?" Emma asked Albert to receive a shrug from him.

Belle sighed heavily through her nose as she sipped at her tea, her eyes focus on the blue dot on the screen. The more she heard the more she wanted to be with him, supporting him through whatever was happening. Another reason she wanted to be with him, was to give his father a punch on the nose for using Rumald.

"Ooo!" Emma exclaimed, grabbing hold of Albert's arm to squeeze it and pointed to the screen on the laptop. "He's moving!"

Turning round in his chair to face the screen, Albert carefully watched the blue dot blink on and off the screen as it travelled along a road. He forced his hand into his pocket and yanked out his phone, quickly unlocking it to call his father. They all waited patiently, staring at Albert as he perched himself onto the table with his elbows. Belle could not breathe. Her knuckles were white, clutching the cup between her two hands as she waited.

Albert jumped in his chair before twisting round to look at Belle, as he said. "Hey dad!"

Hearing him greet his father, Belle unsteadily stumbled and bumped her shoulder into Gladius, relieved to hear someone making contact with Rumald. Gladius supported Belle with a hand under Belle's elbow, whilst she removed the cup from between Belle's hands, handing it off to Emma to deliver it to the table. Belle's hands clutched together against her chest, intently listening to Albert talk to his father.

"I will, I promise." Albert promised his father, briefly glancing round at Belle. "She's here, if you want… Okay, hang on." He offered the phone towards Belle. "He wants to talk to you."

Belle took the phone from him and pressed it against her ear, wandering slightly away from everyone to the entrance hall. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Not really, sweetheart." Hearing his heavenly voice, Belle closed her eyes. "My aunt died about an hour ago."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, Rumald." She said, hating she was thousands of miles away from him.

Belle heard a sniffle down the phone. "It's okay. She's not in pain now."

"Did you get to see her?" Belle asked as she entered the living room and flopped down into the armchair nearest the fireplace.

"Yeah, I went straight to the hospital from the airport." He was quiet for second before he said. "I'm sorry for the way I left yesterday. I had to try and see her before she went."

"It's okay. I understand. I would've done the same thing, if it'd been my mother." She told him honestly; thankful she had been able to see her mother before she died.

Down the phone, she heard him sigh heavily and say. "Sometimes I wish you weren't so understanding."

"What would you rather I do?" She asked him, frowning as she drew her knees up onto the chair. "Shout and scream at you?"

"Maybe… I don't know." Rumald groaned and she could mentally see him clawing his fingers through his hair, as he said. "All I thought about when I left the house was getting here. Then when I was on the plane and sitting beside her bedside, I just wanted to come home to you."

"Come home then." She said to him, her tone close to begging.

"I can't. Not yet, anyway." He said in a sorrowful voice.

Belle's forehead scrunched at his refusal. "Why can't you?"

"The family is meeting with the lawyer on Monday and the funeral will take place on Thursday or Friday." He answered, as she heard a female voice call his name and began to hear music.

"That's quick, isn't it?" She asked him.

She heard him excuse himself and say 'beer' to someone, before he answered her. "Josey knew she was dying. She's had this prearranged for months."

"Oh… Would you like me to come over there? Or when are you coming home?" Belle beseeched him, not liking the idea of being away from him for too long. It would be the longest they had spent apart from each other since they had gotten back together.

"Thank you for the offer. But I would rather you not deal with my... family. Anyway, at the latest, Saturday or Sunday." He said and groaned, just as he did when he was tired and sat down on the couch. "Play my cards right, Friday."

"What are you going to do? Stay at a hotel or with your father?" Belled asked, but became uneasy when he chuckled down the phone at her.

"Yeah, right. Stay with my father. Over my dead body." He told her sobering by the end of it.

She pursed her lips, not happy with the idea of over his dead body, and said. "Hotel then?"

"Yeah, I'm going to find one after I've had this drink with my cousin." He informed her and whispered a 'thank you' to someone before she heard him slurp at something.

"Oh, okay." She nodded her head at the information and then said to him. "I love you, Rumald."

"I love you too, sweetheart." He returned the sentiment and she could hear his smile in his voice.

"Is it okay, if I message you?" Belle asked sliding her feet off the edge of the armchair and stood up from the chair, feeling better now she had spoken to him.

"Course you can." He said and laughed. "I've got your other messages to go through yet though."

"I'll call you later." She told him, leaving the living room to cross the entrance hall into the kitchen, finding everyone sat around the breakfast table. They all looked up from the laptop to watched Belle come into the room.

He chuckled again down the phone at her. "Just remember the time difference. It's nearly ten o'clock at night here."

"Well… I'll message you instead and you can read it in the morning, if you're asleep." She said smiling, oblivious to everyone watching her.

"Okay, sweetheart." Belle knew he was smiling too.

"Love you." She told him and gushed inwardly as she did every time when he told her he loved her. Saying their goodbyes, Belle ended the call and handed the phone back to Albert, who had his eyebrows raised at her. She did not care if she wore a stupid grin on her face. Nothing could take away the fuzzy feeling inside her chest, replacing the heartache she had felt all night, waiting to hear from him. Biting down on her lower lip, Belle knew she would ride out the high of talking to him soon, but would relish it until it was gone and would pine to talk to him again.


	58. Chapter 58

Her phone in her bag chirped with Rumald's message tone, signalling another message had come through from him. Torn between Lilly and looking at her phone, Belle bit her lower lip trying to decide whether to abandon Lilly and her assignment to receive her hit of Rumald. The last three days had been torturous. The tease of hearing his voice or receiving his messages did nothing to quell her hunger to be with him. Their bed was now swamped in the smell of Rumald's aftershave, the care for the hundred-dollar bottle gone, as she had sprayed it contents all over the bed, hoping it would let her sleep peacefully without him. The only problem was she could not replicate the feel of him beside her, his arm slung protectively and possessively over her side, his fingers interlocked with her own under her pillow as they slept together. Belle just needed him to come home.

Pointing towards the door of the study room, Belle suggested to Lilly. "Why don't you go and grab some more books on Christianity, and then we'll compare them?"

"Okay, Miss French." Lilly smiled pushing her chair out from under the table and slipped out of the room, leaving the door partly open. Now on her own, Belle snatched her bag up off the floor and rummaged in it to find her phone. She frowned when she could not find her phone, positive she had dropped it in there earlier, when she suddenly found it underneath her diary at the bottom of her bag. Discarding her bag back down to the floor, Belle unlocked her phone, holding her breath as she bit her lip, waiting for his message to come up.

' _The sooner I can get away from this man the better.'_ Rumald's message said. She rolled her eyes tapping out a reply to his message.

Monday had not been the best day for Rumald. The light airy mood, he had been in that morning, had been ruined when the meeting with the lawyer had been moved to Rumald's father's house. Rumald had hoped he would only have to deal with his father at the funeral and could spend the rest of his time, far away from the man. During their night time call, when he had been explaining in full what had happened, she had been tempted to ask him about the house and what it was like, but by the tone of his voice, she knew he had needed to vent. He was extremely disgusted with his father for not being at his aunt's bedside, instead had chosen to spend the evening with a woman half his age he was courting.

As Belle typed her message, she grimaced remembering his outrage at her, yelling at her down the phone when she had compared Rumald's father to Milah. He had not been willing to listen to her logic, explaining how because his father had only shown him coldness as love, was probably a reason why he had loved Milah. Seeking in a partner, the only love he had ever known: harshness. Belle had not been sure when he had hung up on her, while she had been exploring the theory, lost in her thoughts as she had babbled into her phone. When he had not answered her calls, Belle curled up on his side of the bed and went to sleep, annoyed with herself for upsetting him. It had been midmorning Tuesday for Belle, when Rumald had sent her a message apologising for hanging up on her, to which she replied with her own apology.

Pressing send on her message, Belle looked up to see Lilly coming back into the room with a stack of books in her arms. She sighed at the sight of Lilly with a part of her hopelessly wishing it had been Rumald. Anytime she heard the front door open, the doorbell, a car slowing down outside the house, her initial thought would always be it was Rumald. He had laughed at her, when she had confessed her thoughts to him and had not helped her by saying, 'Anything is possible, sweetheart'.

When the school bell had signalled the end of the day, Belle had given Lilly some more pointers to go over until their next session. Shaking her head, as Lilly had stuffed her things into her bag and ran out of the room, Belle had to raise her voice to say bye to young girl. She collected her own things and said bye to Jess as she had walked by the circulation desk. As Belle had exited the school, crossing the parking lot to her car, she smiled warmly at Albert leant against her car, his phone held against his ear.

Nearing her car, Belle could hear Albert tell someone. "Well, as soon as I've had dinner, I'll come over."

She watched Albert over the roof of her car, as she dug her keys out of her bag and unlocked the car. Getting into the car, Belle dropped her bag into the passenger footwell, as Albert climbed into her car ending his call. The groan he let out as he got into the car, made Belle pause her movements, with the key in the ignition to start the car, and gazed at him beside her in the car. Albert pinched at the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. She could see Rumald in him as he let out a long sigh. Normally she would have thought it was cute but cursed it instead. It was an evil reminder, he would not be home for another two or three days.

Starting the car, Belle turned her gaze away from Albert and pulled the lever down into drive to pull out of her parking space. They left the school in silence, apart from the odd huff Albert exclaimed from time to time. She would sneak a peek at him through the corner of her eye; his fingers were still pinching the bridge of his nose.

As she slowed at the intersection, pulling up to the red light, Albert dropped his hand from his face and turned to Belle. "Sometimes I don't understand girls."

Slowly Belle turned her head to look at him, stunned by his statement. "Excuse me?"

"Girls," He proposed and waved his hand, gesturing like his father would. "One minute they're all, 'yes, come over'. Then the next, they're 'no, no, don't come over'."

"Have you and Emma fallen out again?" Belle said looking away from Albert in time to see the traffic light change to green.

As she drove on, Albert twisted in his seat to face her. "No, we – haven't." He exaggerated the 'we' as he spoke and then pointed aimlessly towards the direction they had come from. "She's fallen out with me, because I didn't compliment her new hairstyle. And Shaun, in her biology class, did!"

"Why didn't you compliment her then?" Belle asked slightly distracted, as she drove pass Rumald's shop to see the light on inside and Dove's car parked in Rumald's spot. Another sore reminder he was not in town.

"I told her she looked nice. I tell her everyday she looks nice." Albert grumbled crossing his arms over his chest.

Turning into their street, Belle glanced at him beside her and said. "Maybe she wanted you to give her a little more than, you look nice."

"What in front of everyone at school?" Albert scoffed opening his car door after Belle pulled into their driveway, parking the car behind his car.

"You shouldn't care what everyone else thinks." Belle stated loudly, so he could hear her outside of the car, whilst she collected her bag and exited the car. "If Emma means as much to you, as I think she does, then it doesn't matter what they say about you."

"Easy for you to say." He threw at her as he came around the hood of the car to march up to the porch.

Belle tugged at his arm, forcing him to stop and look at her, as she told him. "Easy? If you don't remember, your father has a reputation in this town, one that doesn't seem to be going away. No matter where I go, with or without your father, people whisper about us being together."

"Yeah, but they're not going to be mocking you in the changing rooms before football practise." Albert said to her, waving his hand around.

"No, but that doesn't mean they don't mock us behind our backs." She pushed passed him, holding back her annoyance at him and the town, and climbed the steps of the porch. "If you love her, then it doesn't matter what they say. Just like I don't care what this town thinks of me and your father."

"But…" Albert trailed off. Intrigued, Belle stopped midway way up the stairs and turned round to see him picking at something on the strap of his bag. Her head was titled to the side as she studied him and a small smile pulled at the corner of her lips. She placed her bag down on one of the steps and clambered back down the steps to meet him.

"But what?" She asked, clasping both his arms by his elbows.

"I don't want to look stupid." He said with his head bowed, shamed by his statement.

Hooking her finger under his chin, Belle raised his head to look him in the eye. "You won't look stupid to Emma."

"Sure?" He asked with his insecure thick in his voice.

"I promise you, she won't think you're stupid." Belle promised him, showing him a reassuring smile as she squeezed his arms. "Come on, what're we having for dinner?"

"Pizza!" Albert beamed, as they walked up the steps to the porch with their arms linked together.

When they came upon Belle's bag, she scooped it up by its handles and said to him. "You always want pizza."

"Nothing wrong with pizza." He advised her, wagging his finger in the air.

"No, there isn't." She agreed with him, as she unlocked the door and opened it, and stopped when it was partly open to say to him. "But we had pizza last night."

"Chinese!" Albert cried at her.

"You're addicted to takeout." Belle chuckled opening the door and dumped her keys into her bag. She hooked her bag onto one of the coat hooks, as she shrugged off her jacket to hang it beside her bag, while Albert came into the house and closed the door behind him.

He dropped his bag onto the stairs and started towards the kitchen. "Chinese then?"

Belle rolled her eyes at him. "Fine. Get the menu."

"Okay." Albert smiled but then suddenly stopped in the kitchen, staring at something in the room.

"What's the matter?" She questioned, as she got her phone from her bag in case Rumald messaged or called.

Albert crooked his neck to see her over his shoulder and smiled at her. "I think dad's left you something."

"What?" Belle scowled at him and entered the kitchen to stand beside him, halting when she saw the object he was talking about. Sat on the counter, which divided the kitchen and the breakfast table, was a large bouquet of red and pink carnations. There was an envelope resting against the glass vase the bouquet inhabited. Their sweet fragrance drifted through the air and tempted her to go closer to smell them.

At a steady pace, Belle walked around the breakfast table to stand in front of the counter. Her fingers lightly touched the soft petals of the carnations. Leaning into them, she breathed in deeply their sweet scent, while the tip of her nose fleetingly brushed against the soft petals of the flowers. She wished it were the sweet smell of his aftershave on his neck instead, locked safely in his arms with her face snuggled into the crook of his neck. As she pulled back from the flowers, Belle picked up the envelope and opened the flap to pull out a piece of paper. It surprised her to see Rumald's handwriting on it. On closer inspection of it, she could tell it had been printed.

' _It breaks my heart to be this far away from you, sweetheart. I never want to be apart from you ever again. I love you and miss you, your Rumald.'_

A tear fell down onto her cheek as she finished his note; the unexpected sentiment touched her more than any of their calls or messages. She tried her hardest not to cry, desperate to be joyous about his little surprise. The uncontrollable tears rolled down her cheeks, as Belle hugged his note to his chest and closed her eyes, spilling more tears down her cheeks.

"Hey, don't cry." Albert told her, as he coaxed her towards him and wrapped his arms around her, squashing her against his chest.

"I miss him so much, Bae!" She mumbled into his chest, wetting his t-shirt with her tears.

"He'll be home either Friday or Saturday." He said soothingly rubbing his hand over her back.

Belle pushed back from his chest to say. "It's not soon enough."

Pulling a sympathetic smile at her, Albert shrugged his shoulders and dropped his arms from around her. "Still want Chinese?"

She chuckled wiping the wetness from her cheeks. "Always thinking about your stomach."

"Growing. Need feeding." He smiled cheekily at her, gesturing towards his stomach.

"Go and get the menu." Belle instructed him, sniffling back some tears as she turned her gaze to the bouquet beside her. She loved the bouquet of carnations and the fact he had gone to the trouble of getting someone, probably Dove, to leave them at the house for her. But she also hated them. Another reminder of the vast space between them.


	59. Chapter 59

The excitement of Rumald coming home distracted Belle from doing any work, as she sat in her office in the town library, pointlessly shifting through the documents on her desk. He had promised to try to get an earlier flight if he could, but it was looking like he would not be home until the early hours of Saturday morning. She was nearly at breaking point. Everywhere she went, there was a reminder of Rumald or that he was not there. Or someone would politely asked after him, unsure whether he would be by on Friday to collect the rent. She had bit her lip and walked out of Grannies, when she had heard Leroy celebrating the beast had left Storybrooke.

Checking with the clock on the wall, Belle stood up from her desk and collected her phone and bag to leave her office. As she came out of her office, closing the door behind her, Belle smiled at Janice sat at the Circulation desk. She walked over to stand beside Janice and rested her hand on the woman's shoulder.

"I'm off for the night, Janice." Belle told her and then gestured to the library. "If everyone's gone, just lock up and go home."

"Okay, thank you, Belle. Have a nice weekend." Janice said sliding off her stool to check the library.

"And you!" Belle smiled warmly at Janice, watching her amble off into the aisles of the library, while Belle made her way to the exit of the library. Pushing open the door, the cool afternoon breeze greeted her and flared up the hem of her skirt. Her eyes instantly went to his shop across the street. He was not there, even though the lights were on. Dove had been manning the shop all week, evident by his car parked in Rumald's spot beside the shop. Normally she would have cursed the sight of his shop and grumbled to herself, but knowing he would be home in the morning, lightened her mood and she smiled at the sight of it.

She wore her smile all the way to Grannies, where she had agreed to meet Ruby for a quick chat before heading home to change for dinner with Gladius. The door's blind chinked as it usually did when she opened it, her gaze swept the diner to find Ruby sat in a booth waiting for her with two ice teas on the table. Smiling broadly at the sight of the welcome alcoholic beverage, Belle slipped into the seat opposite Ruby in the booth, placing her bag beside herself on the seat.

"Hey, you!" Ruby welcomed, pushing the full drink across the table to Belle. "So, is he home tonight? Or are we on for sleep over?"

"Sleep over is on." Belle said with her smile wavering with the sadness of knowing, she would spend another night in their bed alone.

"Cool! I've already picked out what movies we can watch on Netflix's." Ruby informed Belle, leaning forward onto the table with her arms.

Belle slurped her drink and rolled her eyes at the heaven-sent sweet taste of the alcohol in the ice tea. Her shoulders eased as she lowered the glass down onto the table, relaxing for the first time that week. She would never have thought spending a week away from him, would have been any different from when they had lived separately. Three weeks they had lived together, four including the week he had been away. The madness of him not being there surprised her. Missing the feel of him beside her, or knowing he was nearby when she wanted him, or he would be home to hear how her day went, drove her near enough insane. She did not know how she would ever cope, if he had to go away in the future for more than a week.

Ruby stirred the ice in her ice tea with her straw, as she said. "I've planned the movies around Albert being there. Not too girly for him."

"Oh, don't need to worry about that with him." Belle chuckled at Ruby. "He balled his eyes out, when we went to see Beauty and the Beast at the movies. He won't admit it, but he did!"

"Well, if I'd known that, I would've selected titles to get him to cry." Ruby rolled her eyes at the new knowledge, slumping back against the back of the seat.

"You've got time to select a new list." Belle told her, grinning cheekily at her friend before she drew on the straw in her drink.

Ruby's eyes widened at the suggestion. "I do, don't I?"

"We're meeting Gladius for dinner at the steakhouse about six thirty." Belle informed Ruby, placing her drink on the table. "I'd say we'd be back at the house for about eight."

"Okay, I'll grab some bags of popcorn and chips before I come over. How's our drinks supply?" Ruby asked, mentally noting down her to do list.

"When I did the grocery shopping, I grabbed some more beers, two bottles of rum and plenty of coke." She shared with her friend before taking another drink from her ice tea.

"I've been looking forward to this all day!" Ruby exclaimed with her excitement getting the better of her. "It'll be like the nights we had here and at your apartment."

Belle waved her hand dismissively at Ruby. "I've told you, you're always welcome over at the house. Rumald doesn't mind."

"That's not what I get from the way he looks at me." Ruby told Belle, playing with the ice in her drink again with her straw.

"Look," Belle sat forward and rested her weight down onto the table with her elbows. "He's not used to other people coming into the house. The more you come over, the more he'll think of you like a piece of furniture."

"Oh, thanks!" Ruby laughed. "I'm a piece of furniture now."

Belle laughed and shook her head at the same time, as she explained. "You know what I mean, Rumald will just get used to you being around."

"Okay, fine. I'll try and come over more." Ruby promised and slurped on her straw, finishing the last of her ice tea.

"Why don't you come over Sunday for dinner?" Belle suggested after taking a long draw from her straw in her drink.

"Not this Sunday." Ruby said shaking her head.

"Why not?" Belle questioned her friend, frowning across the table at her.

Ruby leaned forward over the table, smiling cheekily at Belle, as she lowered her voice to say. "Because there'll be some underlying sexual tension to be relieved and I don't want to get in the way."

"Ruby!" Belle cried loud enough for everyone in the diner to stop and look at their table. Her cheeks reddened with their watchful gazes on them. Ruby laughed it off and sat back away from the table, grinning across the table at Belle. Shaking her head, Belle pursed her lips together, forcing herself to hold back her smile but her eyes gave her away, lighting up at the thought of her and Rumald in bed together. Sex was the second thing on her mind, just seeing him was top priority.

Slurping the last of her ice tea, Belle noticed on the clock it was just past half past five. "I got to go. Message me when you're leaving here, in case we haven't left the steakhouse yet."

"Yep, will do." Ruby saluted Belle's instruction, as Belle edged her way out of the booth and stood up.

"Later then." Belle said smirking at Ruby in the booth, while she backed up towards the door.

"Laters!" Ruby called after her. Everyone in the diner was watching Belle leave, but she did not care, Ruby and Albert had been the only ones to make the week manageable without Rumald. Each in their own way, distracting her from his absence.

As she walked from Grannies to where her car, parked behind the library, she pondered over her father. Belle had not heard from him since the day he had left Storybrooke. He had not even glanced at her, when he had driven pass Grannies, where she had sat on the steps of the porch waiting to see him leave. Nevertheless, she did not miss him. Had not even thought about him until she had crossed the street, checking either way to see it was clear and caught sight of the new flower shop, which had opened in her father's old shop. Maybe with the time she had spent away at college, Belle had gotten used to him not being in her daily life. However, the fact she had not heard from him and she had not tried to contact him, in a sad way, did not worry her. She did not need him or want him in her life. Whether her opinion would stay the same, she did not know, but for now, she was content with him being out of her life.

Belle unlocked her car and waited with her hand on the door handle, while her gaze drifted in the direction of the flower shop. Huffing sadly at the thought of her father, she opened her car door and dropped inside her car, tossing her bag onto the passenger seat beside her. She drove absently over to the house, the radio played out some nameless tune, whilst she put the thoughts of her father to bed. Burying them back down where they belonged.

The car creaked bouncing up the short curb to pull up onto the driveway. Exiting the car, Belle shut the door and wandered up to the house, hearing Albert was home before she had even entered the house. As she unlocked the front door, she winched knowing how loud the music would be when she entered the house. Taking a deep breath, Belle pushed open the door and was hit with the loud music, blasting out into the street before she had chance to shut the door. She knew he was upstairs in his room, looking up to the top of the stairs as she retrieved her phone from her bag and discarded her bag to a hook with the jackets.

She trudged her way up the stairs, grimacing at the loudness of his music, and took the few steps down the hallway to turn into his open doorway. Albert had his back to her, sat at his desk, his finger reading the text in the book as he noted things down onto his notepad. His head was bobbing as his father's did, when Rumald was listening to his music via his earphones, engrossed in the song playing into his ears. Shaking her head, she entered his room to cross to his sound system and twisted the volume dial to turn it down. Albert jumped at the change in volume and smiled when he saw Belle standing by his sound system.

"I didn't hear you come home." Albert confessed, as he held a hand over his chest.

Belle raised her eyebrows at him. "I doubt you would've heard a bomb going off."

"Ha, ha. Very funny." He told her, twisting back round to his books.

"Don't forget, we're meeting Gladius for dinner at half six," Belle checked the time on her phone, whilst she made her way out of his room. "It's quarter to six now."

"Okay, I'll finish this page and I'll go and shower." He told her over his shoulder, scribbling at his notepad. She glanced over her shoulder as she crossed the threshold out of his room, admiring him for a second, and carried on down the corridor to their bedroom. Walking into their room, Belle unbuttoned her blouse and kicked off her heels, whilst closing the bedroom door behind her. She stripped her blouse from her arms and tossed it to an empty chair near the bay window, whilst she discarded her phone to her bedside table. As she unzipped her skirt, letting it fall from around her waist to her ankles, Belle scooped it off the floor to send it to the chair, soon followed by her underwear.

Removing the clip that held her hair up at the back of her head, she traipsed into their bathroom and turned on the shower. As she waited for the shower to get hot, Belle discarded the clip to the cabinet sat between the sink and the shower. The clip clattered against the wooden top, as Belle studied the various items littering the top of the cabinet. She swore some of it had been moved, mostly Rumald's things, such as his can of shaving cream had moved from one side to the other side nearest the sink. His razor was now sat between the taps of the sink, instead of in his basket on top of the cabinet. The almost empty bottle of aftershave was now on the cabinet, instead of in the mirror cabinet on the wall above the sink. Belle struggled to think of a reason, why they would have moved.

Her eyebrows pressed down heavily over her eyes, whilst Belle grabbed her dressing gown from the back of the bathroom door, slinging it on and tying it as she left her bedroom. Walking straight into Albert's bedroom, Belle startled him again, when he snapped his head to look at her, spotting her out of the corner of his eye.

"Have you been in our bathroom, using your father's stuff again?" Belle asked him directly.

"No." He told her and gestured to his work in front of him. "I came home and came straight up here to do my homework."

Turning her head slightly, she questioned him further. "Definitely haven't been in our bathroom? Even this morning?"

"No, not even this morning. Why? What's wrong?" Albert pivoted round on his chair to face her.

"Nothing wrong… I just could've sworn your father's things have moved." She told him and then shook her head at herself. "Maybe I'm going mad. Ignore me."

Belle was barely out the room, when Albert commented. "You went mad a long time ago."

"Hey, cheeky!" She smiled pointing her finger at him, standing in his doorway as she spoke to him. "You should be getting ready for dinner."

"Okay, okay." Albert proclaimed standing up from his chair, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'm getting in the shower now."

Chuckling at Albert, she headed back to their bedroom and went inside closing the door behind her, pausing to scan the room for other things that may have moved. There was not much in their room, which had moved. Nothing that stood out to Belle. Sighing heavily through her nose, she untied her robe and hung it on the back of the door before she jumped into the shower.

It did not take Belle long to be showered and dressed, and was applying her makeup when there was short rap on her bedroom door, followed by. "Belle?"

"You can come in, Bae." She called to him before running the lipstick over her top and bottom lip.

Through the mirror, she could see him skulking by the bathroom door, his head turned away so he did not see anything, he was not meant to see. Albert always dressed smart when they were dining with Gladius. Influence slightly by Rumald, Albert was wearing his black dress pants, a white shirt and red tie, but instead of wearing a suit jacket like his father, chose to wear a black V-neck jumper. Seeing him standing there made Belle wonder if Rumald had looked similar to his son at that age.

"It's nearly twenty past." He told her.

"I'm coming." Belle told him, slipping the lipstick into its lid to drop into her basket on the cabinet.

Leaving the bathroom, she placed her hand on Albert's shoulder and coaxed him out of the room with her, startling him into the bedroom. "Can you go and get my purse and keys out of my bag hanging in the entrance hall?"

"Yep." Albert replied happily, leaving the bedroom to go downstairs. Purposely she went over to the chest at the end of the bed and retrieved a small dark red handbag, which went with the dark red dress she was wearing. She was about to slip her phone into her purse after collecting it from her bedside, when she noticed there was message from Rumald.

Leaving their bedroom, Belle unlocked her phone and read his message as she trailed down the hallway to the stairs. _'Looking forward to seeing you. Love you.'_

She replied to his message whilst she descended the stairs, meeting Albert at the bottom of them. He handed her purse and keys, and went to open the door for her as she put her things into her purse. Belle smiled her thanks to him and left the house, leaving him to lock up while she went down the porch steps. As she opened her car door, Albert was already at the passenger door, opening it to get in beside her.


	60. Chapter 60

The drive over to the steakhouse was done in mutual silence, content to listen to the tunes on the radio as they drove through Storybrooke. Nearing the steakhouse, Belle could see it down the street, brightly lit to draw everyone in like a moths to a flame. The parking lot was slightly full as she pulled into it, rolling pass some spaces before she turned into one. Albert had climbed out of the car and left her to go inside, as she had even turned off the engine and trailed behind him into the restaurant after locking her car.

Entering the steakhouse, the chatter was the first thing to hit her as she came through the entrance, followed by the smell of the delicious food from the kitchen. They had only been in a couple of times. Choosing mostly to eat at either their house or Gladius's, when they got together for dinner. Belle preferred the steakhouse to Fazoli's. The atmosphere was a lot more relaxed at the steakhouse and it was more the kind of place she would have gone herself. However, she did enjoy the special treatment they got when they actually went to Fazoli's instead of ordering food to be delivered home.

"Belle!" Albert called from the bar area. Turning to look in the direction of his voice, Belle smiled seeing Albert stood beside his Grandma, his arm casually laid over her shoulders as Gladius slipped her arm around his lower back.

As Belle came over to them, Gladius chuckled saying. "Even when I'm sitting on a tall stool, he's taller than me."

"He's taller than me and his father now." Belle told Gladius, touching Albert's upper arm to lovingly rub her thumb against his arm.

"How was your day, dear?" Gladius asked, genuinely interested.

Belle nodded her head at the older woman. "Really good, thank you. Didn't get much done, but who does on a Friday?"

"Too busy watching the clock, so you can go home." Gladius commented, while she waved her hand for the bartender to come over. As Belle smiled at Gladius, she began to smell a familiar fragrance, one she had only ever known one man to wear. Turning her head round, Belle checked over her shoulder but was disappointed to see an open doorway. She caught another whiff of the familiar smell on the cool breeze coming through the open doorway. Disappointedly Belle turned back to meet the bartender, who had answered Gladius's call, arrive on the opposite side of the bar to Gladius. The two must have known each other, by the way the younger man perched himself forward onto the bar and smiled at the older woman.

Gladius leaned forward onto the bar. "Max, tell them I'm ready for my table."

"No problem, Mrs Johnson." Max told her and quickly left to pass her instruction on to someone else.

"So, what have you been doing at school?" Gladius asked Albert, tugging him closer to her. Belle loved seeing Gladius with Albert. His grandmother doted over Albert when she was around, always eager to lend him an ear. Seeing them together was a sad reminder, of how Belle did not remember much of her grandparents, from either side of her family. Her father's parents she could remember glimpses of them, a vague memory of visiting their house when she was very young. From what she gathered, when she was older, they had disowned her father, tired of what he would put his own family through. After her mother's death, they had lost contact with her parents with all the moving they did. Though Belle suspected, her father may have done it on purpose, as their judgemental looks were unwelcomed.

Albert shrugged his shoulders at his grandmother's question. "The usual."

"Okay… How's Emma then?" Gladius questioned him, picking a piece of lint off his jumper.

"She's fine, I guess." He replied to Gladius, his attention on the people who entered the steakhouse behind Belle.

"You guess?" Gladius scowled up at him, as she said. "Have you two fallen out?"

"Kind of… She's not really talking to me." Albert confessed to them.

Belle rolled her eyes at him, while she enlightened Gladius. "She's had a new hairstyle and I think she was hoping for him to say a lot more than 'that's nice'."

Gladius looked from Belle to Albert, telling him. "Sometimes you're just like your grandpa. It was like pulling teeth to get him to pay me a compliment."

"Mrs Johnson," A voice called from behind Belle, making her turn and step out of the way, so they all could see the man. "Your table is ready for you."

"Okay, thank you." Gladius said using Albert to support herself as she scooted off the stool.

They followed the waiter to their table, as everyone watched them from their own tables walk through the dining area. Some of their faces Belle recognised from when she worked in Grannies and some from the library. She smiled pleasantly at them, clasping her handbag tightly between her hands in front of her. Being the centre of attention never appealed to Belle, but it was something she was learning to deal with due to Rumald's reputation. Belle was forever hearing the whispers, 'Look, she's the one dating that bastard', 'I wonder what Mr Gold has over her to make her date him' and many other comments.

The waiter stopped at an empty table and pulled out the chairs for them. Belle halted and waited for Gladius and Albert to catch up, who were chattering on their way over from the bar. Albert nodded his head at what Gladius was telling him, his hand resting on top of her hand hooked around his arm. He was such a gentleman, just like his father.

Gladius poked Albert's chest, as she said. "Don't be stupid. As soon as you can, go and apologise to her. Tell her how beautiful she is."

"Okay, grandma." Albert told her, rubbing at the area she had poked in his chest.

"Where's everyone sitting?" Belle asked them, knowing Gladius liked to sit where she could see the activity in the restaurant.

"Why don't you sit here, dear?" Gladius said, indicating the chair nearest them, its back to the restaurant. "I'll sit in my usual spot and Albert can sit either side."

Smiling at Gladius organising them, Belle placed her handbag onto the edge of the table and sat down onto the chair Gladius had indicated, tucking herself in whilst Albert sat to her left and Gladius opposite her, helped in by the waiter. When the waiter had finished helping Gladius tuck her chair under the table, he slipped off for a second to come back with the menus, handing out three of them to leave a fourth laid on the empty place setting. Belle scrunched her eyebrows at the other menu before looking over the menu.

"Belle, are we sharing a bottle of wine between us?" Gladius asked, perusing the wine list.

Belle dropped her menu down to look at Gladius over the table. "Sure."

"White or red?" Gladius questioned as she turned the wine list over.

"Don't mind." She told Gladius, lifting her menu back up to scan through the different dishes.

"Can I have some?" Albert asked them, looking between Gladius and Belle. They paused dropping their menus down to glance at him before looking at each other. Belle left the decision to Gladius, as she went back to her menu, fancying surf and turf for her dinner.

Whilst Belle turned the menu over to look over the selection of deserts, Gladius told Albert. "You can have a little bit, but I'm ordering you a coke."

"Okay." Albert said with a smile and then pointed to one of the meals on the menu. "I'm having the T-bone."

Lowering her menu, Belle looked at him saying. "It's 22ozs. Are you going to finish that?"

"You said I couldn't finish the pizza the other night but I did. This'll be easy compared to that." Albert told her, proud of his accomplishment of finishing an extra-large pizza to himself. As Belle rolled her eyes at him, the waiter came back to their table and hung by their table waiting for their order.

"Right," Gladius said shifting in her chair, ready to take charge. "We'll have a bottle of Chateau Garreau and a large coke for my grandson, and can we get three wine glasses."

The waiter scribbled onto the notepad in the palm of his hand, as he asked. "Are we ready to order food?"

"Are we just having mains, or are we having appetisers?" Albert asked them, his eyes hungrily roamed the menu.

"If you want one, dear." Gladius said chuckling at her grandson.

"Well, I just want a main." Belle said holding the menu out for the waiter to take and told him. "Surf and turf for me, please."

"How would you like the steak cooked?" The waiter asked Belle.

Belle looked up at him and said. "Medium to well done."

"Thank you." The waiter said quietly, flashing a smile at Belle as their fingers fleetingly touched. The touch meant nothing to Belle. Nothing could or would ever compare to what she felt when Rumald touched her. Rumald had been the only man, who could innocently touch her hand and ignite an uncontrollable heat between her legs.

"I'll have the nachos to begin with, and then if you fancy any, Belle, we can share it." Gladius said sharing a smile over the table, always thoughtful of other people. "Then I'll have the grilled salmon salad."

The waiter finished noting down Gladius's order and took her menu from her, tucking it under his arm with the other menu. "And for you, sir?"

"I'll have the chicken tenders and the T-bone steak." Albert told the waiter, holding his menu out to the waiter, so he could take it after he had written down Albert's order.

"How would you like the T-bone cooked?" The waiter asked, while he took the menu from Albert to join the others under his arm.

Albert thought it over for a few seconds before saying. "Medium."

The waiter left their table, writing some more onto his notepad, but left the menu on the empty place setting. Frowning at the innocent menu, Belle began to turn her head to look after the waiter, when Gladius grabbed her attention by shrilling excitedly. Belle chuckled at the noise Gladius made, never hearing such a noise before from Gladius.

"It's not long now until Christmas!" Gladius said laying her hand on top of Albert's on the table. "Nine or so weeks to go."

"I didn't know Christmas was a big thing for you, Gladius." Belle remarked reaching for the glass of water on the table in front of her.

Gladius beamed a smile across the table at Belle. "It is when I get to spend a week with this troublemaker skiing in Aspen."

"Really?" She questioned, glancing from Gladius to Albert. "I've never been skiing."

"You should come with us." Albert suggested.

"Oh, no, no. I wouldn't want to intrude on your quality time together." Belle shook her head at him and took a sip from her glass of water.

Gladius pulled a face and shook her head at Belle, telling her. "You wouldn't be intruding, dear. You're family."

Hearing Gladius call her family, Belle froze with her glass halfway down to the table and bit down onto her lip. Those simple words meant so much to Belle. The one thing she had missed out on when she was younger. The family unit she should have been able to lean on for support and comfort. She smiled across the table at them. Neither of them, nor Rumald, had ever made her feel like she was not part of their family.

She breathed deeply through her nose and placed her glass of water down onto the table, smiling at Gladius across the table as her thumb rubbed at the feel of the ghost engagement ring on her finger. "Thank you, that's very kind of you to say."

"Nothing kind about it, dear." Gladius gave Belle a lopsided smile. "You're a part of this family whether you like or not. And I know if Rumald has his way, which he probably will, you'll be married by this time next year."

"You think so?" Belle asked, giggling at Gladius.

"Oh, I know so, dear." Gladius told her, a knowing grin tugged at the corners of her mouth with a twinkle in her eye. The waiter appeared beside Belle, leaning over the table to place a large glass of coke in front of Albert before he delivered an empty wine glass to each of them at the table. Carefully he poured a tasting amount into Gladius's glass. Belle watched as Gladius swirled the wine around her glass, checking the consistency, and then sipped at the wine. Giving the waiter a nod of her head, the waiter poured some more into Gladius's and into the other two empty glasses, leaving the bottle on the table for them.

"What are you looking for, when you do that?" Belle asked raising her glass of wine to her lips.

Gladius shrugged her shoulders. "No idea, but it looks good."

"Dad says the wine should be clear and sparkle in the light, and when swirling, if the wine creates legs down the glass, it has a high alcohol content." Albert informed them, adjusting his place setting.

Belle smirked at Albert beside her. "Trust your father to educate in the fine art of wine tasting."

"He does have a thing about wine." Albert reminded her, while giving her a lopsided smile.

"It's been a while, since we went wine tasting for the wine menu at Fazoli's." Gladius said, pressing her eyebrows down in thought. "Okay, well Rumald tasted it, while I was drinking it."

"Dad had to carry her back to the car." He whispered to Belle smirking at Gladius, saying it loud enough for Gladius to hear him.

"He did not!" Gladius defended herself, playfully slapping his arm.

Watching the exchange between them, Belle smiled as Albert said. "He had to put you over his shoulders, because you fell asleep on the table."

"I don't think you're remembering this right. You were very young at the time." Gladius dismissed his statement and drank from her glass of wine.

"This was two years ago!" Albert laughed at his grandmother, receiving a cheeky glare from her.

"Look, young man," Gladius waved her hand towards Belle. "If you don't stop sharing details of your grandma in an unfit state, I will tell Belle embarrassing stories about you."

Albert pulled a face at Gladius and crossed his arms over his chest, as he asked. "Like what?"

Gladius smiled evilly at him before looking to Belle across the table, gesturing towards Albert, as she said. "When Milah went to collect him from a play date at the Nolan's, he came out of the house wearing a dress."

"Hey!" Albert jumped forward, grabbing hold of Gladius's hand.

"Proclaimed he was a princess!" Gladius managed to say before Albert shushed her, clasping his hand over her mouth.

"Shush!" He told his grandmother, holding her gaze. Belle could not help but chuckle, covering her mouth to hide the grin on her face, as Gladius widened her eyes at Albert, the tease evident in her eyes. When the waiter appeared at their table, Albert removed his hand from over Gladius's mouth, sheepishly glancing up at the waiter as they placed an appetiser in front of Albert and one in front of Gladius. Sipping at her glass of wine, Belle smiled at the image of a young Albert wearing a dress.

While Gladius and Albert dug into their appetisers, Belle sat back and observed them, bickering between bites as they scolded the other for sharing embarrassing details. As she listened to them, it was another sad reminded of what she had missed growing up. Even when her mother had been alive, everything had circulated around her father, his gambling and his drinking. Yes, there had been sweet moments that Belle remembered, when her mother would pick her up after school and took her to the local mall, window-shopping as they moseyed around the mall. Never buying. Just looking. The only treat her mother could ever afford was an ice cream, which at the time had been magical.

She knew, if they had a child, they would never know the childhood Belle had suffered. Rumald would never allow them to go without. He would look after them. They would come before him. Never would he gamble or drink away their money. Belle could see him adoring their child as much as he did Albert, protecting them from the cruelty of the world. The thought of him sat at their bedside, reading a story to them until they fell asleep, forced a smile onto her face.

"When's Rumald back?" Gladius asked before popping a nacho into her mouth.

"Sorry, Gladius." Belle sat up straight in her chair, blinking her eyes to refocus them on Gladius. "What did you say?"

Gladius smiled and sipped her wine, and asked again. "When's Rumald back?"

"When I last spoke to him, he was going to try and get an early flight, but I'm guessing he wasn't able to. So he won't be back 'til tomorrow morning." Belle said combing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hmm…" Gladius murmured, shifting in her seat. "That's disappointing, isn't it?"

"Just a little a bit." Belle said dryly, raising her glass of wine to drink from it. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Albert's eyes focus on something behind her before he looked down at her. She knitted her brow at him, lowering her glass to the table, when she felt a pair of warm hands clasped at her bare shoulders. The sudden warmth on her shoulders made Belle sit up straight in her seat.

They bent over to be eye level with Belle and said. "Hey Belle!"

Belle snapped her head round to look at Mary-Margaret, towering over her. "Mary-Margaret!"

"Sorry, did I startled you?" Mary-Margaret asked, her gaze fleeting to each occupant of the table.

"No, no. Sorry." Belle smiled at her friend, feeling stupid for thinking it might have been Rumald. "How're you?"

"I'm good, but I bet you can't wait for Rumald to be home now. Can't be too long now?" Mary-Margaret inquired, stepping from behind Belle to stand behind the empty chair.

"No, not long. I was just saying, he should be home in the morning." Belle told her, grimacing a smile while she thought about the eternity she had to wait for him to come home.

Mary-Margaret gleamed a smile at her, as she said. "That's good. I'm glad."

"You guys here for dinner?" Belle asked, noticing Albert was scanning the faces in the restaurant.

"Yeah," Mary-Margaret looked round, checking to see if anyone was listening, as she leant forward towards their table. "I couldn't be bothered to cook."

"Oh, I don't blame you, dear." Gladius interjected, wiping at the corners of her mouth with her napkin.

Mary-Margaret shared a smile with Gladius before she said. "Anyway, I thought I would come over and say hi, but I better get back to our table."

There were no formals goodbyes. Mary-Margaret ambled away from their table, heading across the dining area to a table at the opposite side of the room. Turning her gaze back to the table, Belle found Albert perching himself on the table, following Mary-Margaret through the crowded restaurant to their table. She glanced back in the direction Mary-Margaret had gone before shifting in her chair to face Albert, touching the top of his hand on the table with her own.

"Go over there and see her." Belle advised him.

"What? Here?" Albert questioned, sitting down into his chair.

"Right, I'm going over there." Belle shifted her chair back from the table, pretending to go over there, glad when Albert grabbed her hand to stop her from the table before she stood up. She did not know what she was going to say to the Nolan's, if she had to cross the restaurant to their table.

Albert cursed her under his breath and stood up from the table. "Excuse me."

They both watched him ambled through the tables to where Mary-Margaret had gone. Sipping from her wine, Belle observed Albert talking to their table before Emma stood up, excusing herself. She had not seen Emma's new hairstyle. The lushes' long wavy blonde hair had been lopped off to above her shoulder. Either way, long or short, Emma was still very pretty.

The young couple shifted off to an isolated corner to chat, as Gladius said. "You certainly know how to get my grandson to do something."

"He's just worried about looking stupid," Belle shared with Gladius. "Which I've told him is stupid. If he likes Emma, or dare we say loves her, then it shouldn't matter."

"Albert may have some of his grandpa in him, but he has a lot of Rumald in him as well. Though, his insecurity is not helped by that thing called his mother." Gladius seethed her words when it came to talking about Milah and finished the last of her wine in one snapped movement.

"How's her pregnancy doing?" Belle asked moving the conversation to something that should be a joyous subject for Gladius, another grandchild on the way.

"Wouldn't know, dear." Gladius said bracing a smile, as she poured herself another glass of wine and topped up Belle's wine glass.

Belle raised a quizzical eyebrow at the older woman. "Not talking?"

"Told her she was basically on her own from now on. I'll see the child when he's born and I'll arrange visitation, but apart from that I don't want anything more to do with my daughter. Not after the stunt she pulled with Albert." Gladius told Belle and drank from her freshly poured glass of wine.

"He? I thought Milah said it was girl?" Belle asked, frowning at her own questions.

"Anytime I've spoken to her, it's been a boy." Gladius pursued her lips in thought as she replied to Belle's question. Squinting her eyes in deep thought, Belle went back through all the conversations she had heard about Milah's baby, only ever hearing it was going to be a girl.

Gladius raised her eyebrows up her forehead, as she asked. "Was she talking to Rumald? Telling him it was a girl?"

Her brow creased at Gladius's questions, contemplating them, and said. "Yeah…"

"Thought so." Gladius rolled her eyes, as her eyebrows relaxed down her forehead. "When they found out Albert was, of course, a boy, Rumald was a little disappointed. Think he quite liked the idea of having a daughter." Gladius said to Belle, while her eyes inspected the finished appetiser in front of her. "They did try to have another child, or shall I say, Rumald thinks they were trying for another child."

"What?" Belle questioned.

"Not at the time, sometime afterwards when they had agreed if it happened, it happened. Milah told me she had gone on the pill after Albert was born. I've never had the heart to tell him." Gladius voice was full of regret as she spoke, the strong capable woman sat across the table from Belle, looking almost defeated by the secret she had shared with Belle.

Belle sat forward and reached across the table to Gladius's hand, squeezing the older woman's fingers, as she reassured her. "Hey, Gladius, it's not your fault. Don't feel bad about it. He's better off now."

"It is my fault." Gladius said, as she turned her hand over under Belle's and returned the firm squeeze Belle had given her. "She's my daughter. I should've been harder on her."

"Gladius, with the way you are with Bae, I doubt it had anything to do with you being soft on her." Belle told Gladius, when the waiter came into view beside Belle.

As they released their hold on each other's hands, the waiter bent over and collected the two appetisers from the table. "Satisfactory I hope, Mrs Johnson?"

"As always, Stuart." Gladius smiled her appreciation. Another waiter came around Stuart and placed another bottle of wine on the table, and delivered an empty wine glass to the empty place setting. Belle looked from the empty wine glass to the waiter, who had delivered it, back to the empty wine glass and menu that sat on their table. The two waiters left the table together, whispering between themselves, as they went back to the kitchen. About to follow them with her gaze, Belle was distracted when Gladius chinked the bottles of wine together, rearranging the items on the table.

"I hope you're about to pour me a glass, dearie." A familiar voice said behind Belle. Splaying her hands on the table, breathless at the shock of hearing his thick brogue, she stared across the table at Gladius, who was smiling like a Cheshire cat. Her toes in her heels curled tightly at hearing his voice. Closing her eyes, wishing to god it were not a dream, Belle forced herself to take a deep breath to dull the ache in her chest.

His fingers smoothed over her back, trailing the base of her neck, until she felt his clothes brushed against her bare shoulder. The smell of his aftershave wafted around her, as his warm breath washed over her face, the smooth point of his nose lightly trailed a short path down her temple. The heaviness of his forehead resting on top of her head was welcomed, briefly easing to place a hot kiss to her cheek. Her cheek felt on fire, whilst his fingers clutched at her left shoulder, digging into her soft skin.

"I've missed you so much, sweetheart." Rumald whispered into her ear. Finally, Belle opened her eyes and twisted her head to look up at him. The loving smile he wore for her dulled the ache in chest.

She reached up to his face, forgetting about Gladius and the restaurant full of people, only seeing Rumald as she drew his face down to her, capturing his lips. The kiss was brief, but lingered as they pulled far enough apart to crack open their eyes to see each other. A wildfire smile flurried over Belle's lips, gazing up into Rumald's soulful brown eyes.

Gladius politely coughed to gain their attention. "Would you like everyone to leave the restaurant?"

"Oh… I'm sure they'll enjoy the entertainment." Rumald returned to Gladius, as he placed his hand on top of Belle's cupping his face. "Love you."

Belle's smile broadened, hurting her cheeks, but before she could return respond, Gladius said. "Awe, that's so nice. I should think after all the time you've known me you would love me."

Chuckling at Gladius, Belle dropped her hand from between Rumald's face and his hand, whilst he stood up straight and glared at his ex-mother in law. "You know exactly who I was saying it to."

"Oh, sorry." Gladius joined Belle, chuckling at their amusement, as Rumald removed his suit jacket to hang on the back of the empty chair.

"You know, I didn't get any of this back in Scotland." Rumald shook his head at them, while he sat down at their table and grabbed the nearly empty bottle of wine to pour the last of it for himself.

"Oh, shush." Gladius told him and sipped from her wine. A waiter approached their table and stood beside Rumald. Rumald quickly ordered his meal and handed the menu to the young waiter, dismissing him with a polite smile. Belle could not take her eyes off Rumald, checking him over whilst he drank from his wine. His hair had been trimmed, self-spiking itself, perfectly fanning out. There were shadows of sleepless nights under his eyes, which she knew she had seen on her own face in the mirror. The way he was slumped against the back of the chair, told her he was tired, as he always sat up straight.

Rumald caught her studying him and captured her hand on the table, caressing his thumb over the back of her hand. "Nice surprise?"

"You've blown me away." Belle confessed him.

"Good." He told her with a short laugh, sobering to raise her hand to his lips to kiss the back of her fingers.

"When did you get in?" She asked him, controlling the shiver that ran down her arm from the feel of his lips.

Rumald glanced briefly at Gladius and smiled at her before answering Belle's question. "I've been back since four o'clock this morning."

"What?" Belle's eyebrows pressed down over her eyes.

Gladius laughed collecting her glass of wine from the table. "He's been asleep at my house all morning."

"You knew he was back?" Belle pointed a look across the table at Gladius, but could not help the smile on her face as she grilled Gladius.

"Dear, I know everything!" Gladius jokily told her. While Belle rolled her eyes at Gladius's comment, the two of them shared a look between them. Rumald collected his glass of wine and drank some more of it, gazing at Belle over the rim of his glass. It was wonderful for Belle to see Rumald was having the same problem as her. Unable to take their eyes off each other for more than a second before their eyes would be pulled back to each other. They grinned at each other, as Rumald put his glass down onto the table.

"Dad!" Albert cried when he was near the table and slapped his hands down onto his father's shoulders, shocking his father. "Next time, put your things back where they live! I'm sick of telling you!"

"What?" Rumald chuckled, while Albert excused himself around the table to retake his seat.

Albert gestured to Belle, saying. "Belle was accusing me of being in your bathroom, when she found your things had moved around the bathroom."

"I wondered whether you had noticed." Rumald said towards Belle.

"I'm starting to wonder, how many people knew you were home and didn't tell me." She stated to them and then sipped at her wine. There was a chorus of laughter from around the table at her. Shaking her head at them in disbelief, Belle sat back in her chair when two waiters approached their table with their main courses.

Whilst they were delivering everyone's orders to the table, Belle felt Rumald's hand gently lay onto her knee under the table. She titled her head looking at him with her toes curling in her heels at the lazy caress of his thumb over her knee. He finally met her eyes after thanking the waiters, his devilish smile affecting her in such a way she clenched her thighs together and tore her eyes away from him in an attempt to distract herself with her meal. Desert could definitely be on the cards.


	61. Chapter 61

Finishing off the last of the wine in her glass, Belle stood up to join Rumald, who stood waiting beside the table. His hand instantly found her elbow, firmly but gently grasping it to guide her out of the dining area. They looked at each other and smiled. Belle had felt a pull all the way through their dinner, a secret need to reach across the table and touch him. Innocent enough touches on his arm, his shoulder, his cheek and his chest, had been enough at the table to feed the need. His hand had not left her knee for long and after she had scooted her chair under the table more, her knee had brushed up against his own. Craving to touch him intensified through dinner until Belle was glad when Rumald suggested they go home, as he was feeling sleepy.

She could see Gladius and Albert hanging near the bar, where Gladius was talking to the bartender she had called Max earlier. Belle smiled watching the interaction between Gladius and Max, the bartender, as she scooted through a tight gap, feeling Rumald's hand lightly touch her lower back. Hearing Rumald mutter under his breath, about how inconsiderate people were, Belle glanced over her shoulder and smirked at him. He stumbled a step when he found her looking at him and the bemused look on her face.

"What?" Rumald asked her, as he claimed her hand to lace their fingers together. Belle bit her lip and shook his question and her amusement away, knowing he must have been exhausted, if he was muttering to himself. Leaning against his arm whilst they walked out of the dining area, he angled his head to try to see her face resting against his shoulder. She breathed in his recognisable aftershave, feeling at home by his side.

"Dad," Albert called stepping closer to them and away from his grandmother, who was excitedly chatting to Max over the bar. "Are we going quad biking tomorrow?"

Rumald lifted his suit jacket to slide his hand into his dress pants pocket, as his shoulders slumped with his exhaustion. "We'll see what the weather's like tomorrow. If not, we'll definitely go next weekend."

"If you're too tired, it's okay. Mr Nolan just invited me to go with them tomorrow. They're going to the mall in Portland." Albert told him.

"Bae, whatever you want to do, is fine with me." Rumald said scratching at the back of his neck.

Looking up at Rumald's face, Belle could see his eyelids looked heavy as she suggested. "Bae, you go with Emma's family tomorrow, give your father this weekend to sleep. Next weekend we'll go to the cabin and you guys can quad bike then."

"Cool!" Albert beamed. "I'll go and tell Mr Nolan to pick me up in the morning." He excused himself passed Belle and filtered off into restaurant. Belle stepped round to stand in front of Rumald, smiling at him as she caressed her thumb over his smooth cheek.

His eyes closed to her touch, as he said. "Think I need to hibernate."

"We'll be home soon and then we… Oh!" Belle's eyes widened remembering the sleep over, while Rumald snapped his eyes open to look see what was wrong. "I invited Ruby round tonight, as I thought you weren't going to be home until tomorrow."

Rumald shrugged his shoulders at her comment. "No matter." His Scottish brogue thicken as he spoke. "I got used to the idea of Ruby coming over ages ago."

"Stop giving her funny looks when she comes over." Belle told him, poking him lightly in his chest.

"Hey, I can't have her telling everyone this beast has a soft under belly." Rumald joked, but there was an underlying truth to his words.

"Rumald," She pouted her lips at him and titled her head to one side, sick of hearing him call himself a beast. "Stop calling yourself a beast. Otherwise, I'll be forced to stab you in your soft under belly." To show the seriousness of her intent, Belle poked him in the stomach sharply through the open gap in his suit jacket.

He chuckled and stepped back, distancing himself from another attack, whilst he parted his suit jacket to rub his hand over his waistcoat where she had poked him. "Okay, okay."

Belle grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket and tugged him towards her, closing the gap between them to nothing. "Are you okay with Ruby coming over? Or shall I message her and rearrange?"

"No, it's fine, sweetheart." Rumald told her with a small smile gracing his lips, stroking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I'll probably go to bed when we get home anyway. You stay up and enjoy yourself. It's your home as much as it's mine now."

"Awe… Thank you, Rumald. That's sweet to say." Belle tiptoed up and kissed him.

"Belle," He moved his hands up to cup her face. "I'm not saying it to be sweet. I'm telling you the truth. It's our home." One of his thumbs stroked her cheek. "I want to give you everything you've never had. And I know, from what you've told me, you've never really had anywhere you could actually call home."

A soft smile pulled at the corners of Belle's lips. Slipping her arms under his suit jacket, Belle hugged him tightly, relishing the warmth and security he gave her. Rumald's cheek gently laid against her forehead, as his arms latched around her, guarding her from the cold. If only he realised the only home she needed was the one, she found inside his arms.

"Please, behave yourselves." Albert chided them, strolling pass them to join his grandmother over at the bar. Giggling, Belle removed her arms from around Rumald, as he shook his head at his son.

"Come on, let's go home." Rumald said quietly to her. She smiled, thankful she was not going to spend another night on her own and fell into step beside him, loving his hand pressed against her lower back. A simple touch, she had never dreamt she would have missed so much. Belle glanced to his face, watching him smile at Gladius and Albert as they approached them.

"So, what are you kids up to tonight?" Gladius asked, while arm and arm with Albert near the doorway to the exit.

"Sleep." Rumald blurted out before anyone could answer and guided Belle through the doorway. "And more sleep."

Gladius shook her head and turned to Albert. "Your father is showing his age."

"I'll show her, showing my age." Rumald mumbled behind Belle, hearing him made her giggle as they came out of the restaurant into the chilly evening air. The first lick of the evening air caused Belle to shiver and Goosebumps to erupt on her bare arms. In a lame attempt to protect and warm herself, Belle hugged her arms around herself, whilst she cursed herself for not thinking ahead. She vigorously rubbed her hands up and down her upper arms, glancing back to watch Gladius and Albert come out of the restaurant, whispering and giggling between themselves.

"Here." Rumald murmured to her, jolting her round to look at him as he hung his suit jacket over her shoulders. The embrace of his warm suit jacket comforted her with the added bonus of his distinct aftershave surrounding her. Belle titled her head down to the collar of his suit jacket around her shoulders and closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath of his smell. A wave of ease washed over her, as she drew in a hit of her addiction. Gazing up at him behind her, over her shoulder, Belle smiled at him before he kissed the side of her head, just above her ear.

Rumald's hands lingered around her shoulders, as he asked. "Are we picking Ruby up, or is she meeting us at the house?"

"She's meeting us at the house." Belle answered his question and rummaged in her purse for her phone. "I'll message her and tell her we're leaving."

"Okay, is there anything we need?" He questioned digging his keys out of his pocket.

Pouting her lips in thought, she shook her head at him, as she typed out her message to Ruby. "Nope."

"I'll meet you at home then." Rumald told her. In harmony with one another, Belle titled her face up to him and met his brief kiss. As he turned to walk to his car, she grabbed his waistcoat and stopped him, grinning at him when he looked to see what was wrong. His features softened whilst Rumald leant back into her and fastened his lips onto hers, kissing her longer and harder. It was such a temptation to drop everything in her hands and sling her arms around him. She wanted all of him and she did not care, if they did it in front of the doorway to the steakhouse for everyone to see.

The sweet sound of their lips parting aroused Belle, hungering her to continue consuming his lips and him. She felt shy seeing his lopsided smile, knowing exactly what he was imagining. His fingers gently lifted her hand from his waistcoat to his lips, his gaze never leaving hers, as he kissed the back of her fingers and backed away from her. Their hands refused to let go until Rumald had stepped far enough away their hands helplessly parted.

Rumald was the first to break their eye contact, twisting to see Gladius and Albert. "I'll see you tomorrow, Gladius, and we can go over that paperwork."

"Okay, Rumald." Gladius said to him, waving her farewell to him.

"Gladius, thank you for the nice evening." Belle said pressing send on her phone and shoved her phone back into her purse.

Gladius smiled at Belle and took the few steps over to Belle to pull her into a hug, holding her close to speak into her ear. "I hope in the morning, I'll be hearing that we're planning your wedding."

"Maybe not tonight, he's tired." Belle said leaning back from Gladius's embrace. "Tomorrow night."

"I've got champagne sitting on ice, young lady." Gladius informed Belle, giving the younger woman a stern but playful look.

"I'm sure Albert will tell you as soon as the ring is on my finger." Belle gestured to Albert, who had come to stand beside them. They all looked to Rumald's car when he honked his horn, signalling to them that he was leaving as he drove out of the parking lot.

Gladius dropped her arms from around Belle. "It makes me laugh, thinking about how much time we spent picking out that ring."

"Oh, I…" Belle stumbled her words. "I thought he'd gotten it from Milah. As in it was an heirloom or his mother's."

"No, dear. We spent three hours sitting in a jeweller's in Portland, picking out the ring he wanted for you." Gladius shared with Belle.

Frowning, Belle pulled Rumald's suit jacket tighter around her, as she inquired. "Then what did he get back from Milah?"

"What could she possibly still have of dad's after all this time?" Albert added with his eyebrows pressed down curiously over his eyes.

Gladius glanced between the two of them. "No idea, he never mentioned anything about it to me. I'm surprised to hear he managed to get anything out of Milah."

"Oh." Belle uttered, stunned that Gladius did not seem to know anything about it, as Rumald shared most of his private matters with her.

Hearing a phone begin to ring, all three of them checked themselves, when Belle realised it was her phone. Belle opened her purse and retrieved her phone to see Ruby was calling her. She pressed to answer the call and held the phone to her ear, while Gladius and Albert chatted between themselves.

"Ruby." Belle greeted and waved her farewell to Gladius. As she wandered over to her car, Albert embraced his grandmother and kissed her cheek, promising to inform her as soon as Belle had accepted Rumald's proposal.

"Belle, did you know Rumald's home?" Ruby asked, her voice sounding nervy down the phone.

"Yeah, he surprised me at dinner." Belle said grinning, as she remembered the surprise.

"Oh, okay." Ruby muttered. "But we're still on tonight?"

Belle unlocked her car door and got in, as she told Ruby. "Course! I'm taking it you're at the house already?"

"Yeah, I'm parked outside the house. Rumald pulled in as I turned into the street." Ruby informed Belle, her voice wavering as she spoke.

"Ruby, he's expecting you. Just go and knock the door. I'll be home in a minute." She told her friend turning the key in the ignition, whilst Albert dropped into the passenger seat beside her.

"Okay…" Ruby said and hung up the phone. Shaking her head, Belle passed her phone to Albert, who put it inside her handbag, whilst Belle reversed out of the parking spot. She drove out of the parking lot and pulled out onto the street to head home.

Not knowing where else to park, Belle pulled up in front of Ruby's car and blocked their driveway. They got out of the car, while she smirked to herself, thinking how Rumald would not be able to leave the house in a hurry this weekend. By the time Belle had come around the car, Albert was climbing the steps up to the porch. Watching him enter the house, Belle was so happy, knowing that the most important people in her life were home, safe and sound.

Her feet felt sore in her heels, so as she wandered up the path to the house, Belle slipped her shoes off, offering one up at a time to remove them as she walked. Freeing her feet felt wonderful. She climbed the steps of the porch, loving the coolness of the wooden step under her bare foot, and looked up to see Rumald waiting in the open doorway for her. They grinned at each other while she sauntered across the porch to him. Belle tiptoed up to kiss Rumald and went into the house, looking through into the living room to find Ruby and Albert already set up ready for movie night. As Rumald closed the front door with his hip, he removed his suit jacket from her shoulders and her heels from her hand.

"Oh, thank you." Belle said looking round to him.

"I'll take them up with me." Rumald gestured to the items in his hands.

"Okay, I'll be up in a minute to get changed." She informed him, stepping out of his way to the stairs. Rumald trudged his way upstairs with his suit jacket over his arm and her heels in his other hand. His pace was slower than normal, every effort a tiresome ordeal until he reached the upstairs landing and disappeared out of sight. As she waltzed into the living room, even over the din of Ruby and Albert arguing about which movie they should watch first, she could hear Rumald's shoes clonk on the wooden floorboards upstairs. Hearing him walk around the house, made it feel like home again.


	62. Chapter 62

Belle lay with her eyes closed, clutching her pillow close to her face while she held Rumald's hand under the pillow, savouring Rumald in bed with her again. His bare chest pressed against her back with his other arm draped over her, clutching the covers tightly around her, their legs intertwined with each other. Since he had abruptly left for Scotland, she had tossed and turned every night. Never really dosing off completely. Last night, after crawling into bed just after midnight, she had laid down behind him and wrapped her arm around him, and had near enough fell straight to sleep. The last thing she had been aware of was Rumald finding her hand to lace their fingers together.

Peering out from under her eyelids, she groaned at the harsh green display of her alarm clock, displaying it was quarter past eight in the morning. Belle closed her eyes, telling herself if she lay there long enough, she would fall back to sleep. As she lay there, the first morning at Rumald's cabin popped into her head. Thinking about that day, she inwardly cursed herself, for the hundredth or so time, for not accepting his proposal there and then.

Greedily breathing in, Belle carefully turned over, untangling her legs from his, so she could see his face. Her hand snaked up to his face from under the covers, stroking at the light gruffness of his stubble cheek. His breathing was low and shallow as he slept. He was not what she had envisioned when she was a little girl. Always picturing her husband to be near the same age as herself, tall, dark and handsome. Gaston had pretty much been what she had pictured, the stereotypical image of what romance novels and magazines defined as the desirable traits. However, Gaston had been the dream, the unrealistic man, whereas Rumald was real and true. Not pretending to be more than what he was, not living up to expectations of others… He was just her Rumald.

She lovingly caressed his cheek with her thumb, not daring to think of a life without him in it. As she raised her thumb to move back to the start of her caress, Rumald's eyes peeped open and closed, and a small smile graced his lips. His arm buried under her pillow, slipped out to wrap around her shoulders, heaving her closer to his chest.

"You think too loudly." He murmured sleepily, grasping the covers tighter around her.

Amused by his comment, Belle chuckled and carried on her caress over his stubble, as she said. "You can't blame me, when you gave me a lot to think about."

"As far as I am aware, Miss French, I have been asleep." He mumbled, shifting his left pyjama clad leg to hook over her bare right leg, reclaiming it back as his. "Anything I have said, whilst asleep, I doubt is worth thinking about."

"Okay, if you say so." She said playfully and lifted her head to reposition her pillow under her head.

At hearing her playful tone, Rumald cracked open an eye to see her. "Do I talk in my sleep?"

"No." She shook her head at him, combing his greying hair back from his forehead. He eyed her for a further second and then settled back against his pillow, closing his eye to the sight of her. A crease foamed on his forehead before his eyebrows knitted together, the cogs inside his head mulling over her previous statement. She loved how much Rumald's face could convey what he was feeling or thinking, betraying the private man now his mask had been removed from him.

Rumald opened both his eyes, staring at her with his dark brown eyes. "What did you mean? What have I given you to think about?"

"No idea?" Belle asked with her tone staying light-hearted. A lot had happened since he had proposed and as they had only mentioned it in jest, she could not blame him for it not being his first thought. Especially after his week in Scotland, dealing with his family and the funeral. Things back in Storybrooke had probably been the last thing on his mind.

"You know, I don't function until I get my first cup of coffee." He reminded her, while screwing up his lips in deep thought, mulling over things she could have been thinking about.

"Mr Gold," She poked at his bare chest under the covers, making him jolt. "Is that your obvious ploy for me to get you coffee?"

"Well… Partly. I mostly want to see you walk across the bedroom in that nightie." Rumald grinned, as he lifted the covers to peep at the nightie she was wearing for bed.

Yanking the covers back down, Belle leaned forward into him and kissed him before scooting out of his arms and the bed. "Fine. I'll go and get you coffee, only so I don't distract you from trying to figure out, what I was thinking about."

"Deal." He said bracing himself up onto his arm for a better vantage point. Without even turning around, she knew his eyes were on her as she purposefully exaggerated the sway of her hips on her journey to the bathroom. She bit her lip at the thought of him leering after her, whilst she reached behind the bathroom door to grab her bathrobe. Throwing on the robe, Belle flicked her loose hair out from the collar of the bathrobe and wrapped it around herself, coming out of the bathroom as she tied the tie for her robe around her waist.

"I don't know which is better now." Rumald said from the bed, gaining her attention. "The nightie or the bathrobe."

"I know what's better." Belle told him opening their bedroom door.

"What?" He inquired, as he shifted up the bed into a sitting position against the headboard.

Peeking out into the hallway, she held the edge of the door and popped her head back round the door to see Rumald, as she said. "Naked."

"Oooo-h!" He moaned as Belle shut the door, smirking at his response, and wandered down the cool hallway. Passing by Albert's door, she could hear the tell-tale sounds of him being awake, with the faint sounds of gunfire coming through his bedroom door. It was as if his hand was programmed to instantly grab his controller when he woke up to play his game. Though, her usual weekend routine would be to grab her book and get a few chapters in before the need for breakfast got too much. So not much better than Albert's.

Belle padded down the staircase into the entrance hall, spotting the Storybrooke Mail had been delivered, lying motionless on the front doormat. She snatched it up off the floor and briefly swept her eyes over the front page, seeing nothing of interest to her, and folded it to shove under her arm. As she turned to go to the kitchen, her eyes spotted the mess she had told Ruby to leave last night. Wishing they had tidied last night, Belle went through into the kitchen and discarded the newspaper to the counter on her way to the kettle, so she could fill it and set it off to boil.

While she waited for the kettle, Belle set out two cups and dropped a tea bag in one for herself and teaspoon of instant coffee for Rumald. The idea of cleaning out the coffee machine was not appealing, not when she had other agendas that morning. Grabbing the trashcan from under the sink Belle carried it into the living room and began throwing all the beer bottles and empty packets into the bin. She used her hand to sweep all the bits of popcorn and chips off the edge of the coffee table, into the bin perched carefully underneath. Happy for now with the state of the living room, Belle went back into the kitchen and disposed of the trashcan back under the sink, just as the kettle clicked and gurgled coming to a boil.

As she poured the hot water into their cups, Belle raised an eyebrow at herself, formulating a plan as she returned the kettle to its stand. She quickly stirred his coffee and tossed the teaspoon onto the counter, uncaring about the mess as she sauntered away from their cups and went into the dining room. A nervousness began to stir in her stomach, whilst she tiptoed up to claim the black velvet ring box from the top of her the bookcase Rumald had made her. She clenched her fingers around it, swallowing down her nerves as she left the dining room.

Belle flicked open the velvet box to reveal the engagement ring and removed the ring from its foam captor. She loitered around the kitchen island, placing the box onto the counter as she gazed down at the ring he had picked out for her. Now she knew he had spent time picking out the ring between her fingers, Belle felt flattered by the care he had put into it. Rumald had spent so much time trying to make it special. Picking the right ring, choosing the location, perfecting a plan, working out what he was going to say… and she had undermined his proposal by not giving him an answer.

There was not a second thought or regret as Belle slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. She held her hand out in front of her, admiring how the ring looked on her finger. Just as the day she found it in his bedside table, it was perfect.

Nodding her head absently at herself, Belle collected their drinks and headed back upstairs. As she stood on the other side of their bedroom door, she breathed deeply, mentally telling herself to play it cool. Shouldering the door open, Belle entered their bedroom and looked over to see Rumald reading his book. She used her shoulder to close the door again and crossed over to his bedside table to deliver his coffee to him.

"Thank you, sweetheart." He said without looking up from the page he was reading.

"Just playing at the dutiful wife." She told him holding back her smirk, as she placed her tea on her bedside table. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the inquisitive look he gave her before returning to his book. After untying the tie around her waist, Belle shrugged off her bathrobe and laid it over the foot of the bed.

Climbing back into their bed, Belle positioned her pillow up against the headboard and sat back against it, saying. "Nice to see you reading."

"Should have seen me last week. I read three books while I was away." Rumald told her, as he reached for his cup of coffee.

"That's so annoying. I couldn't concentrate enough to read." She shared with him, repositioning the covers over herself.

"Hey," He said after sipping his coffee and put it back on his bedside table. "Have you been tidying up? Moving things around?"

"No, why?" Belle asked him, gazing down at the ring on her finger.

"Nothing. I must have moved it. Might be at the shop." Rumald thought aloud, turning to the next page in his book.

She peeked at him through the corner of her eye, anxiously playing with her fingers, as she asked. "What book are you reading?"

"It's the one you suggested I read." He said showing her the cover of the book. "The Stand by Stephen King."

Belle grabbed his book with her left her, blatantly showing the ring to him whilst she removed the book from his hands to fake reading the blurb on the back of the cover. "Oh, yeah, I remember. About the plague that spreads over the world."

"I saw it in the airport, when I was waiting for my flight and bought that and a few others." He told her, as he leant to reclaim his coffee from his bedside table, oblivious to the ring on her finger.

"I much prefer my romance novels these days." Belle said laying his book down onto his lap, keeping his place in his book.

"They're alright, but they do put unrealistic conventions on real life relationships." Rumald expressed his opinion and drank from his coffee.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "How so?"

Resting his hot coffee cup against his bare chest, he gestured with his free hand. "They give people the false idea that love is simple. Love is never simple. It's like a delicate flame." While he was talking, Belle procured her tea from her bedside table and clasped her hands around it, holding her cup up in front of her to blow over her hot tea. "If you don't work through the hard times, then I'm sorry the flame is going to get blown out. You need to protect it. It takes two people for it to work." Rumald dropped his gesturing hand down on top of his book in his lap. "And it's not all magical like it is in romance novels. Things don't just happen."

"Rumald," Belle interrupted his train of thought and gained his attention. "As much as I agreed with you that love does take work. I wouldn't be so critical. It's fiction at the end of the day."

Belle slurped at her tea, as Rumald put his coffee back to his bedside table and picked up his book to gesture with it. "This is fiction, yes. But it also could happen."

"Yes, and so could a romance novel for someone out there." Belle shook her head at him. "You're just cynical because of your first marriage." She retorted, deliberately holding her cup up for him to see her hand.

"And you're not after Gaston cheated on you?" He asked turning the corner down on his page and closed his book to toss it to the floor by his side of the bed.

"I was." She told him as she lowered her cup of tea to her lap, remembering the afternoon she had first seen Albert and Emma together at Grannies. "He did make me cynical about what I believed romance and love was about."

Rumald's brow drew down over his eyes, as Belle said. "I thought at one time I was going to marry him. We were going to have children, a dog and the white picket fence." She stroked her thumb over the handle of her cup. "And then he did what he did. Broke my heart and shattered my dreams."

"Belle." Rumald spoke softly to her whilst he placed his hand on her shoulder, sensing he may have touched a nerve.

"But you know what," Belle looked up from her cup to his face. "I know now he was not right for me. He was not the man of my dreams." Rumald's eyebrows rose up his forehead. "Yes, love takes work, but if it's not with the right person then it will never work."

"I didn't mean to upset you, sweetheart." He earnestly confessed to her, his fingertips pressed firmly into her shoulder.

"Gaston may have broken the naïve girl I was when I was with him." She told him, taking hold of his other hand with hers, the smooth band of the ring touched the back of his hand. "But you've shown me a love I thought, was only possible in romance novels." Tightening her fingers around his hand, Belle added. "You love me unconditionally."

Rumald squeezed his eyes shut, drawing in a deep breath. "Oh, Belle."

Twisting enough to put her tea back on her bedside table, Belle turned back to him and folded her leg underneath herself, so she could turn further to face him. "I love you, Rumald."

"And I love you too, sweetheart." He said opening his eyes to gaze tenderly at her. Rumald moved his hand from her back to her face, stroking the back of his fingers over her cheek. Belle smiled at him and angled her face into his touch, as he raised her hand holding his to his lips, kissing her knuckles. He jerked his head away from her hand, feeling a foreign object brushed against his face. His hand stroking her face stopped and fell limped onto her shoulder before it slid off down onto the bed. Rumald stared at the diamond ring on her ring finger, glistening in their dimly lit bedroom.

"Sweetheart," Rumald's voice was quiet, as he held Belle's hand in his other hand and removed the ring from her ring finger. "You can't put this on your finger."

"What?!" Belle went from being over the moon to scared out of her mind in seconds, watching as Rumald held the ring between his fingers.

A cheeky grin came over his face, angling his head to look at her. "That's my job."

Blowing out a long breath, Belle glared at Rumald as he smiled at her saying. "Belle," She took in a sharp breath and held it. "Marry me?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed at the top of her voice, using the whole breath, she had been holding. Rumald made short work of sliding the ring back onto her ring finger. As soon as the ring was back on her finger, Belle leaped at him nearly knocking him out of the bed whilst she threw her arms around his neck. Rumald chuckled into her shoulder as he encircled her waist with his arm to steady her, and threw back the covers to grab her right thigh, using his hold to lift her straddle his lap. Able to hold him closer, Belle buried her face into the side of his head, clawing her fingernails down the back of his head to his neckline.

Rumald's hands clutched at the back of her nightie, as he said. "I think the last time I was this happy, was when Bae was born."

They held each other as if their lives depended on it, grasping at clothing and skin. Rumald shifted his head and laid his head against her breasts, forcing Belle to tilt her head, laying her cheek against the top of his head.

"Did we do it then! Did we tell him!" Albert called bursting through the door and skidded to a halt. "Ooohh…! Never mind!" And quickly backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Belle scoffed her laughter into the top of Rumald's head, shaking inside his embrace from holding in her laughter. Muffled by her arm, Belle could just make out Rumald cursing Albert to whatever god was listening.

Unable to take it anymore, Belle kissed the top of his head and shifted off his lap to her side of the bed, laughing at the scene Albert would have saw inside her head. Rumald clambered out of the bed and hoisted his pyjama bottoms up around his waist, as he crossed their bedroom to the close bedroom door. She did not need to see Rumald's face to know he rolled his eyes as he opened their bedroom door.

"Bae!" Rumald called, stalking out into the hallway.

"No, it's fine! I didn't see anything! I swear!" She could hear Albert shouting from his bedroom.

Belle pulled the covers up and over her legs, giggling at the commotion in the hallway. "Bae!"

"Dad, honestly, I didn't see anything!" Albert cried. "I don't need you to explain!"

"Bae, open the door!" Rumald called.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked hazily from the bedroom doorway. Belle implored Ruby to come into the bedroom by gesturing with her hand, stifling her laughter with a hand over her mouth. As Ruby came into the room, stumbling over to the bed, Belle could hear Albert's bedroom's door usual creak as it opened.

"Is it always like this here?" Ruby inquired hopping up onto the foot of the bed, dressed in her usual nightwear, sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt.

Belle shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes."

"I'm going to bring earplugs next time I stay over." Ruby yawned, scratching the back of her left arm.

"Look!" Belle motioned to her left hand, holding her hand up to show Ruby the ring as she wiggled her fingers.

"Eh…?" Ruby mumbled before her eyes exploded wide at the sight of the ring. "Party!"

"Party!" Belle agreed with Ruby, as Ruby launched herself across the bed to hug her friend. The two excitedly bounced from side to side. Ruby relented her hold around Belle to look at the ring closely and then threw her arms back round Belle again, rocking her side to side.

"Congrats!" Ruby cried down Belle's ear. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Teenagers, who'd have one?" Rumald questioned coming back into their bedroom.

Belle and Ruby parted, as Rumald came around the foot of the bed to stand beside Belle and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to have a shower."

"Okay." Belle said to him, watching Rumald smile at Ruby on his way back round the bed to disappear into their bathroom, closing the door behind him. The click of the bathroom door acted like a starter pistol setting Ruby off, talking rapidly about preparations for an engagement party and wedding. Belle let her ramble on as she considered the ring on her finger, saying the mantra of 'Mrs Belle Gold' over and over in head.


	63. Chapter 63

(This is an M rated chapter.)

Her smile had not left her face all weekend. Even with her cheeks aching from the constant strain, the smile she beamed did not waver. She knew nothing had really changed, apart from wearing his ring, but it still felt so different. Without thinking about it, Belle's thumb kept playing with the band of her ring, fidgeting with the reminder on her finger as she laid out on the couch reading her book. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see it was nearly time for Rumald to come home from the shop. It would be the first evening on their own, and the only time they would have been alone since Rumald's return, as Albert was hanging out with his friends, trying out a new game one of his friends had acquired.

Sitting up to stand up from the couch, Belle tucked her bookmark into her page and closed her book, taking it with her as she made her way upstairs. While she climbed the stairs, Belle went through her dresses in her head, trying to decide which one she was going to wear. She unbuttoned her blouse as she entered their bedroom, pausing to place her book on Rumald's chest of draws behind the bedroom door, and pulled her blouse out of her the waist of her skirt to reveal more buttons. Standing in front of their wardrobe, Belle removed her arms from her blouse, threw it in the direction of their bed, and opened the door to the wardrobe. Her eyes immediately went to his immaculate suits, hung in colour order. She stroked her hand down the arm of one of his suits, gleaming at the ring on her ring. Reaching into her side of the wardrobe, Belle unhooked one of her hangers and removed a strapless short dark purple dress from inside the wardrobe, and closed the door.

She laid it across the foot of the bed as she passed it, heading for the chest of draws opposite their bed, whilst she unzipped her skirt. Hopping out of it, Belle abandoned it to the chair beside the chest of draws and opened the top draw that contained her underwear. Whilst rummaging through her bras and panties for the matching set she wanted, she twisted her head hearing music filter its way up the stairs. A loving look came over her face, knowing Rumald was home, as she pulled a strapless bra and matching panties out from her draw.

As she laid the clean underwear on top of her dress, Belle reached behind herself to unhook her bra and heard a distinct pop from downstairs. She wondered what it was for a second before removing her bra and panties to leave on the floor by her side of the bed. Collecting her loose hair together, bunching it up on top of her head, Belle traipsed from their bedroom into the bathroom and retrieved a crocodile style hair clip to secure her hair on top of her head. Belle turned on the shower, leaving it to get warm, whilst she opened the cabinet behind her to retrieve a clean towel. The cupboard was bare. Rumald must have used the last one for his morning shower.

Coming out of the bathroom wrapped in her bathrobe, Belle pulled the tie of the robe tight around her waist and padded out of their bedroom to enter the other bathroom. She opened a cabinet door and retrieved a fresh fluffy towel from the stack inside. With it in hand, Belle crossed the hallway to their bedroom, lightly pushing their door open further.

"Hey!" Rumald called making her jump and drop her towel to the floor, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, standing close behind her.

"I thought you were downstairs." Belle told him, clasping her hands on top of his shirtsleeves.

Effortlessly he swayed them in time with the music from downstairs, whispering against her neck. "God, you're so beautiful."

"Rumald," She began to say as his lips faintly kissed the sensitive skin behind her ear, causing her to suck in a sharp breath. "I'm wearing a bathrobe."

"I've told you." His words tickled the small hairs on the back of her neck. "You're always beautiful, no matter what you're wearing." Rumald told her, as his fingers teased the tie of her robe loose.

"I need a shower before we go out." Belle tried to tell him, while her body gave into him and angled her head to give his lips more access to her neck.

A groan surged out of her, as one of Rumald's hands found its way under her robe, his hot smooth hand traced over the soft skin of her stomach. Lifting her hand up to grab his hair at the back of his head, caused her bathrobe to part and revealed her nakedness. His fingers fluttered over her stomach, up and over her breast to her shoulder, trailing them down her arm as his fingers chased her robe off her shoulder. Her robe fell effortlessly down her arm, slung limp over part of her back, while Rumald's hand dawdled a fever down her right arm to capture her hand. He laced their fingers as he wrapped their entwined arms around her waist.

His open mouth kisses and nips travelled down the nape of her neck to the newly exposed skin he exposed, peeling her robe off her shoulder to pool at their feet. Belle lulled her head back and closed her eyes, bewildered by his sweet caress. Clamping her against his clothed body, Rumald kissed his way across the back of her neck to tease the other side of her neck.

Feeling his teeth grate over her skin, she hissed and crushed her thighs together, an animalistic need to feel a fiction between her legs. Rumald kneaded her breast in the palm of his hand, gently but firmly. Her legs shook and threatened to give way. She reached for him behind her, aimlessly seeking him to find his leg. Fisting the material of his pants in her hand, scared her legs would give out from underneath her, Belle moaned at Rumald's hand sliding down her flat stomach from her breast. His fingertips momentarily dipped into her navel before carrying on with their journey. Even after all this time, as he soothed his hand down over the pubic hair that she kept short, Belle nervously held her breath.

The short hairs prickled against the palm of his hand, as he purposefully slid his fingers into the folds between her legs. Her hips bucked against his hand, which he held firmly against her, providing her the needed friction to gain the pleasure she hungered. Rumald knew exactly where and when to touch her, more familiar the wants of her body than she ever had been. As he whispered sweet nothings into her ear, biting at her earlobe, Belle grinded her hips down onto his hand. She swallowed at the dryness in her mouth, distracted between his hand and trying to breath, drowning in the sensations he invoked from deep inside of her. The more she rode his hand, thrilled when she felt his fingertips dip into her, the more Rumald had to support her, slightly bending his knees so she leant her weight down onto his thighs.

He let go of her hand that he had been clutching around her waist and latched it over her chest, moulding her back against him as he breathed into her ear. "This is all I've thought about since coming home."

Belle choked on her words, growing hotter and hotter with his hips gyrating at the same time as her own, enticing her to quicken her pace and ground harder against his hand. She felt the hardness of his own arousal, teased by her invocative rock, constricted in his dress pants. Knowing he was enjoying it as much as she was, Belle alternated between grinding against his hand and his groin. He sucked at the tender skin on her shoulder as she grounded down against his member, causing his lips to pop from her skin and a deep groan escaped him.

With the hand clutching his pants leg, Belle used the advantage to steady herself, slowing the pace and taking control as she brushed her ass firmly into him. Her need for satisfaction was ignored. With every grind against him, Rumald murmured expletives against her shoulder blade, his forehead rested on the curve of her shoulder.

"I can't take this anymore!" Rumald expressed to her, whilst he spun her around and pinned her against the chest of draws. The rush from whirling round and bumping into the draws dazed Belle for a moment. His lips hungrily sort after hers, teeth clashed, tongues hurriedly explored, as he dug his fingers into her hips. Feeding on his lips, as he did on hers, Belle swiftly yanked his tie undone and snapped it from around his neck. It fell innocently to the floor to join her robe, as she fought with every button of his waistcoat.

"You need to wear less clothes. It takes too long to undress you." Belle scolded him between kisses. Finally undoing the last button of his waistcoat, she forcefully stripped it from his arms and discarded it. As she went to start undoing his shirt, Rumald reluctantly pulled his lips apart from hers and swatted her hands away. In one vigorous movement, Rumald ripped open his shirt firing buttons in different directions and stripped it from his arms.

"Rumald!" Belle cried, shocked and impressed at the same time. "Your shirt!"

"I'll buy another one." He dismissed the ruined shirt to the floor and captured her face between his hands, latching his lips onto hers again.

The heat between them grew hotter. Rumald ravaged her neck as Belle gasped for air, holding onto Rumald for dear life. Her growing need to have him, to take him, claim him as hers, encouraged her to scrape her nails down his shoulder blades. A dark part of her relished at the cry of pain Rumald uttered against the skin of her neck.

With a sultry smile, Belle shoved Rumald back away from her and strode seductively towards him, closing the gap between them in a few short steps. Her hands went to the belt buckle at his waist, coaxing him to back up to the bed as she walked him backwards. The belt whipped through the loops of his dress pants and clonked to the wooden floor. The expression on Rumald's face could have been mistaken for proudness, but she knew he was enthralled by her taking charge. He always was when she did. Turning the tables on him, snatching the lead from under him. The seesaw of their power play.

The waist of his dress pants dropped with the removal of his belt, allowing the waistband of his Calvin Klein boxers to be revealed. Belle grinned up at him, the few inches of height he had on her meant nothing, when she playfully propelled him back again. The edge of the bed pressed into the back of Rumald's knees, forcing him to drop down onto the bed. As he gazed up at her, helpless to do her bidding, she laid her hand onto his shoulder to balance herself as she straddle him. Belle raised an eyebrow at the nervy breath Rumald blew, his warm breath caressed down the valley between her breasts.

"What's wrong?" She asked, latching her hands around his neck.

"Nothing." He muttered running his hands along her thighs to clasp her butt. "Just wishing that I never wake up from this dream."

"Rumald," Belle laid one of her hands against his cheek, drawing his face up to look her in the eye. "I'm not going anywhere."

The fiery lust in his eyes had softened. They remained staring at each other, conveying in the connection between them, the need they felt for each other. Belle stroked her thumb over his cheek, as Rumald sedately raised his arm to unclip the hair clip holding her hair up. Her lushes brown curls cascaded down over her shoulder and covered part of her face, but it did not break the connection between them. Rumald stroked her hair out of her face and his hand lingered near her ear.

"You will never comprehend how much I love you, Belle." He declared to her.

"Yes, I do." Belle smiled and leant into him, brushing her lips over his as she said. "Endlessly."

Something that sounded like a whimper came out of Rumald's mouth, as he fastened his lips onto hers. In one movement, Rumald had turned them and laid her onto the bed, carefully lying on top of her as they kissed. His hand slipped between them as he knelt onto his knees, allowing himself clear access to her centre. The minstrel of his fingers on her clitoris made Belle huff at the sudden wave of pleasure. Whilst she clutched at his shoulders, anchoring herself to him, Rumald gingerly dipped his fingers into her and buried his face into her neck, licking and sucking. Each time he delved his fingers into her, the deeper he went on the next thrust.

"You feel so good." Rumald purred against her neck. Belle sought out his hair with her fingers, ploughing them deep into his hair, as she held his head still feeling her release building with every stroke of his fingers.

When his thumb flicked at her clitoris, she bit down hard onto her lower lip, widening her eyes at the added pleasure. In time with the rhythm of his fingers, Rumald stroke at her bud with his thumb, pushing her further towards her ecstasy. She could feel herself on the brink, desperate for release but she did not feel satisfy. She longed for more than just fingers and was impatient to wait any longer.

"Rumald, please." She begged him, tearing his head up from her neck to look at him. He did not need to ask what she wanted, or what she needed. He knew.

Slipping his fingers out from her, Rumald sat up from her and unfastened his dress pants. He stepped off the bed and toed off his shoes, as he hook the waistbands of his dress pants and boxers at the same time. Removing his clothes, Rumald's eyes never left her body, adoring her like a masterpiece hung in an art gallery. The bed shifted with Rumald's knee pressing down onto the edge of it, retaking his position between her legs. The tip of his member glanced against the inside of her thigh, exciting her further, as he braced himself over her. She smiled at the love she saw in Rumald's face and could not help herself as she reached up to touch his face. Making love with Rumald was never about fore filling his wants, as it had been with Gaston. It was all about hers. He wanted to please her in any way he could. Needed to satisfy her.

Rumald supported all of his weight onto his elbow and he leant to one side, and reached down to guide himself deep inside of her. When she opened her mouth to exhale a small cry of pleasure, he smothered her cry by covering her mouth with his own. Their kiss was aggressive whilst their hips rocked together at a leisurely pace. The growing demand deep inside of Belle, pushed and pushed, striving her towards ecstasy. While she was lost between the sensations of their lips and hips, her arms encircled Rumald's neck, feeling she had to hold onto him.

His lips left hers and descended to her breast, suckling and teasing her nipple. The new wave of pleasure he gave her was enough to send her over her edge. Her head titled back and her back arched, as she rode out the high he inflicted with every pound into her core. He did not relent on her nipple, sucking it harder into his mouth, using the tip of his tongue to play with the sensitive nipple in his mouth.

She was nearing the end of her high, when Rumald sat up to kneel between her legs and moved his hand between her legs. His thumb rubbed vigorously at her bud, whilst he quickened his pace, eager for his own relief. About to urge she was incapable to come again, Belle cried out at the intense pleasure he summoned from within her. Her lower lip was sore as she dug her teeth in it, riding out her rapture as she bucked against his hips. Her fingernails dug into the skin on his back, anchoring herself as she fell from her high.

Belle was barely aware of anything. Too wrapped up in her body tingling to notice Rumald held himself over her, supporting himself with his hands pressed down onto the bed by her sides. His eyes were closed. She was oblivious that her second orgasm had tipped him over the edge with her. The constriction of her inner walls squeezing him in a way, he could not prevent himself from giving his seed to her.

Gathering herself back together, Belle blinked her eyes and gazed up at Rumald above her. Without opening his eyes, he rolled onto his side next to her on the bed, careful not to hurt her leg. He settled further by rolling onto his back and stretched his arm above his head. Amused she rolled over to him and laid her leg over his, as she placed her hand on his chest.

"You okay?" Belle asked, perplexed by Rumald's stillness.

"Yep." He muttered, but with a sudden afterthought, lifted his head and opened his eyes to ask her. "You?"

"Much better now." She beamed at him.

His head fell back onto the bed, happy with her answer as a smirk graced his lips. Belle raised her hand to wipe at the sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. As she thought about him needing a shower, Belle jolted round to look to the bathroom door, alarmed to see steam bellowing out of the doorway to their bathroom. Jumping off the bed, she raced into the bathroom and felt her way over to the window to unlatch it. Belle chuckled as she wafted the steam out of the window, pondering the fun they could have had in the foggy bathroom.

Song: Kelly Clarkson – You're a Miracle


	64. Chapter 64

As she rubbed the traces of her lotion into her forearms, Belle came out of the bathroom to see Rumald feeding his black leather belt into the loops of his dark blue dress pants. She grinned recounting how not long ago she had whipped it out his other dress pants, which still sat pooled with his boxers inside of them by their bed. Her hand lingered around where her towel folded in on itself, whilst she padded across to the foot of bed and collected her underwear she had laid out earlier.

Rumald bent down on his way into the bathroom and picked up his tie and her bathrobe, a knowing grin grew across his face. She raised an eyebrow at him, watching him raise the bathrobe to his nose to smell it as she removed her towel to put on her underwear. The idea he was addicted to her smell, as she was for his, made her inners tingle. As Belle fastened her bra behind her, she pondered over how a like they were when it came to each other. The comfort she got from knowing he was near, smelling their unique smell of him, feeling the small touch of his hand on her back, would never be something she would dismiss easily. It was nice to see he felt the same way.

After unhooking her dress from its hanger, Belle wiggled into her dress and twisted the dress into position. About the reach behind herself to zip up her dress, the dress slowly constricted itself around her with the zip travelling up her dress. She turned her head to see Rumald stood behind her, his gaze focused on the zipper on her dress. When the zip got to the end of its travels, Rumald eyes ventured up to meet hers and smiled, while his fingers traced over the skin of her back and journeyed down her right arm.

"Thank you." Belle blushed at him, loving how, with just a smile, he could reduce her to the young naïve girl she had been with Gaston.

"Anytime, sweetheart." He murmured, as he stepped closer her to sweetly kiss her cheek. His fingers brushed over the back of her hand to her fingers and captured them, squeezing, while his face loitered near hers with the tip of his nose touching her cheek. Belle felt his other hand splay over her hip before his fingertips pressed firmly into her.

"If we're going out for dinner, we better go." Rumald advised her, his actions were the total opposite of his statement as he stayed still.

Belle smirked at him. "By the time you've finished getting ready, I'll have my makeup done."

"'Kay." She barely heard him, his voice lost wherever his thoughts had taken him. He breathed in deeply taking a step away from her. Their fingers unwillingly let go of each other and their hands fell back to their sides, when Rumald finally went over to their wardrobe. Shoving her feet into her heels, she observed him as he exchanged the tie he had pulled from his pocket, with another one from the rail displaying his ties, secured to the inside of the wardrobe door. Rumald made short work of fastening the remaining buttons of his shirt and flicked up his shirt collar, while their eyes met in the mirror in front of him as Belle headed into the bathroom.

Putting the finishes touches to her eyeliner, Belle saw Rumald appear in the doorway, tugging at the hem of his waistcoat underneath his suit jacket. She loved seeing him in his dark blue suit. He did not wear it often, inclined to wear black even with the vast selection of suits in the wardrobe.

"Where would you like to have dinner?" He asked inclining himself against the doorframe, tweaking his tie.

As she checked her face in the mirror, Belle dropped the pencil back into her basket on the cabinet. "Don't care."

"Don't fancy anything?" Rumald inquired.

The hem of her dressed flared, when she twirled round to go over to him in the doorway. "How about…" Belle started to say straightening his tie, his eyes watching her hands. "Chinese?"

"Chinese?" He quirked an eyebrow, raising his gaze to meet her eyes. "I can't remember the last time I had Chinese."

"Chinese it is then." She told him smiling and slid her hands up his suit jacket to rest onto his shoulders. The corners of his lips turned up into a small smile, lovingly gazing at her as his hands caressed around her waist, luring her closer, to clasp over her lower back. His head inclined forward to gently rest against hers. Her hands naturally moved higher and crossed at her wrists behind his head.

"Sure, you don't want to just stay here?" He asked.

Belle shook her head, rubbing her forehead against his. "We're going out."

"If you insist." He replied moving backwards and caused Belle's arms to fall limp from around his neck. Belle smiled at the hand he offered to her and grabbed hold of it, as she followed him out of their bedroom and down the hallway. They walked down the stairs together, adjusting their hands to keep the contact. Rumald stepped off the stairs and waited by the last step, using their joined hands to assist her down the last steps.

"Wait here." He instructed and left her to go into the kitchen. Intrigued where he had gone, Belle stepped forward to watching him move an open bottle of champagne from the kitchen counter and took it to the fridge to put in one of the shelves of the door.

"Champagne?" She queried and then remembered she heard a pop sound earlier. "Rumald, you should've said you'd brought champagne home."

"No matter." He waved his hand at her, his accent thicken when he spoke.

Belle gestured to the fridge, as Rumald came to stand near her. "It won't keep though. It'll spoil."

"And if it does, I'll buy another bottle." Rumald dismissed her worry and guided her towards the front door.

"That's just a waste of money." She insisted to him, when they came to stop by the front door.

"Sweetheart," The front door interrupted him, when the unused door protested with a clatter. "I'd waste all my fortune, if it meant your happiness. Don't worry about such trivial things as money."

Belle rolled her eyes at him as she accepted his invitation to leave the house first. "That's easy for you to say. You've never known a life without money."

"That's probably true." He said pulling the front door close and locked it, looking at her over his shoulder. "But I've known a life without love."

His statement stabbed her, a sore reminder of the hurt and loss Rumald had to bear from a young age. As much as her own father had put on her and troubled her childhood, he had at least wanted Belle. Loved her, when it did not interfere with his gambling and drinking. For Rumald, as Gladius had told it, had been used by his father as a servant. Never knowing the unique love a parent could offer their child. As much as his aunts had been there for him, nothing would heal the wound his father had branded onto Rumald's heart. The only thing that made the heartache for his father, and for Milah, easier was the love he had for Albert.

"You can take it from me, sweetheart, if you don't have love in your life, life can feel very pointless." He imparted to her, passing her to go down the porch steps. Dropping her eyes to the wooden boards of porch, Belle thumbed at her engagement ring, troubled by her thoughts of Rumald as she descended the steps after him. Rumald was already getting into his car by the time she stepped off the last step.

Belle sighed heavily through her nose, quickening her pace across the front lawn to reach the passenger door of his car. The car roared to life as she passed the hood of the car. The sound drew her to look at Rumald in the driver's seat, whose gaze was casted down to his hands in his lap. She could tell his demons were circling, whispering to him, just as they did when Belle saw him smile or talking with other women. Powered by the darkness others had instilled into their hearts.

The creaked opened when Belle unlatched the door and stepped into the car to sit next to him. He glanced across at her, flashing her a quick smile, which fell short of mimicking his normal smile. His eyes returned to his fingers, whilst she closed her door, closely watching him dig his thumbnail into the callous at the base of his ring finger.

"Hey," Belle placed her hands over his, stilling his thumb. "You'll never feel like that again."

He slowly nodded his head at her words. "I know."

"Come on, I've built up quite the appetite." She showed him a smile whilst clenching at his hands. Rumald scoffed at her comment. His smile was slow to pull at the corner of his lips. Giving his hands one more reassuring squeeze, Belle let go of his hands and laid her hand onto his thigh. As he put the car into reverse Rumald laid his hand on top of hers and stroke his thumb over her fingers, whilst he pulled out of their drive and into the street.

The houses passed by them, as Rumald drove through town to the Chinese restaurant. All the way there, they said nothing. Her hand stayed on his thigh and his hand never left hers. Content to just be, as they rode through Storybrooke. Belle viewed the passing buildings through her window. As they drove pass the flower shop, her eyes were caught by it, a ghostly reminder of what brought her to Storybrooke in the first place. In a few months' time, she would have been in Storybrooke for a year. She was saddened as she thought how half her time in town had been spent without her father there, even though he was the reason she had come there in the first place. With that thought in mind, Belle pursed her lips at missing her father.

The rocking of the car pulling into the parking lot, for the Chinese, brought her out of her musings. She forced a smile onto her face, not wanting Rumald to see her sadness and question it. They had not spoken of her father and she did not want to bring him up either. The anguish her father had caused between her and Rumald, and their happiness, was not something she wanted to discuss with Rumald.

"You okay?" Rumald asked, looking over to see her deep in thought.

"Yep." She beamed at him. There was something in eyes as he squinted at her, probing for the truth behind her smile. Rolling her eyes at him, diverting his questioning gaze, Belle pulled the latch for her door and clambered out of the car. Rumald followed her out of the car, opening his door as she closed hers.

As he appeared out of the car and closed his door, Belle said to him. "I wonder if they do a similar beef and broccoli dish, I used to have."

"Beef and broccoli?" He questioned, meeting her at the front of his car.

"Yeah, I loved it." She told him, hooking arms with him.

His eyebrows raised his brow up his forehead, as they walked over to the entrance of the Chinese. "Some might question your tastes, sweetheart."

Belle swatted at his bicep and giggled at him, sharing a look between them. They were so wrapped up in each other, they did not notice the door to the Chinese open and Milah emerged from inside the restaurant, Killian was in tow behind her.

"Ah, look, Killian." Milah declared stopping in the middle of the doorway, blocking their path into the restaurant and made Killian trip over himself, as he tried not to bump into her. "We were just talking about you, Rum."

The abruptness Rumald came to a stop, caused Belle swing round on his arm, almost offering her to Milah. Belle's eyes went wide at the sight of Milah. Rumald twisted his body and swung Belle back to him, using the momentum to put her slightly behind him, holding his arm out to keep her back. The leer on Milah's face was sickening. Belle had not seen Milah since rescuing her from Rumald's blind rage. Her bump had enlarged in the month she had not seen her. If it were not for the bad feelings between them, Belle would have commented on how radiant Milah looked.

Killian edged nearer to Milah and clasped her upper arm. "Love, let's go home."

"We will, Kill." Milah said to him without even looking at him. "But we can't be rude."

"Love, our food will get cold." Killian urged her, holding the plastic bag of takeaway food up for her to see.

Milah titled her head to see the bag and then turned her head to see Killian over her shoulder. "Kill, my back is killing me." She told him and reached up to touch his chest. "Go and get the car?"

Always her dutiful partner, Killian sheepishly glanced at Belle and Rumald, as he sidestepped Milah to wander off into the parking lot. Belle could feel Rumald's bicep flex under her hand. He was preparing himself for the worse. His arm forced her further back, putting himself between her and Milah.

Milah had been watching Killian cross the parking lot, when he was halfway across the parking lot Milah chose that moment to step forward, saying. "From the rumours I've heard around town, I believe congratulations are in order."

Rumald remained silent. His jaw set, holding his tongue. Since the fretful day he had nearly lost control, Rumald had refused to deal with anything that involved Milah. Even after bringing a restraining order against him, she called his phone and sent him messages, toying with him for a reaction. The peace had come, when Rumald had barred her number from calling him. Albert had done the same. No longer interested in having anything to do with his mother.

Peeking up at Rumald over his shoulder, Belle could see the conflict in his eyes and it pushed her decision to step in, as she said. "Thank you."

"I suppose it's all happy bliss for you two at the moment." Milah smiled, while she held her hand protectively over her bump.

Belle braced a smile at Milah, as she coaxed Rumald to walk around Milah to the entrance of the Chinese. "Yes, very happy."

They were nearly at the door to the Chinese, when Milah commented. "Make the most of it, Rum."

Rumald snatched his arm out of Belle's hold and whipped round to face Milah. "What's that supposed to mean, dearie?"

"Oh, nothing." Milah waved his question away.

"Rumald," Belle clutched at Rumald's arm and persuaded him to turn round to face her. "I'm hungry."

"Yes… Sorry, sweetheart." Rumald apologised to her, half glancing back but not seeing Milah, as he followed Belle's lead to the door.

"She'll leave you, Rum." The statement halted Rumald, as he leant pass Belle to open the door for her. His knuckles turned white with the tightness he clenched the door handle. Slowly Belle's gaze travelled up from his hand to his face, where he had screwed his eyelids shut, causing the crow's feet by his eyes to show.

The door rattled in its doorframe when Rumald snatched his hand from the door handle. Belle fought to get a hold of him. Grabbing his arm, his suit jacket, anything. He easily thwarted her attempts to restrain him. Sighing at her defeat, Belle watched helplessly, while Rumald pinched his nose, crossing the small distance to Milah. He let go of his nose and waved his hand through the air, aimlessly addressing Milah by pointing his finger at her.

"When it is any of your concern, dearie," He jabbed his finger through the air at Milah, emphasizing 'dearie'. "You will be the first to know."

"Hey, I haven't said anything." Milah held her hands up at him, quirking the corner of her lips into a sick smile.

"Oh, no, dearie. You've said plenty." Rumald sneered at her, standing less than a foot from Milah.

That was when Belle noticed the look on Milah's face. By all accounts, the normal reaction of someone, who had been attacked by their ex-husband, would be to shy away from them. Scared they would assaulted again. However, Belle could not deny the look of lust she saw in Milah's eyes, her pupils widened at the sight of her seething ex-husband. Milah's eyes were locked on Rumald's, grinning at the reaction she had provoked.

Milah leaned into Rumald, saying. "You know what I say is true." For a second, Milah's eyes fleeted from Rumald to see Belle over his shoulder. "She's not stupid. She'll see you for what you are, a coward."

"He's not a coward." Belle asserted, as she claimed a hold on Rumald's arm.

"No, you're right." Milah moved her gaze from Belle to Rumald, looking him dead in the eye. "He's nothing."

Rumald's top lip contorted in such a way, it looked as though he was about to snarl by Milah, as he said. "I'm not nothing anymore. She makes me stronger."

"Are you sure about that, Rum?" Milah asked him, raising her hand up to trail her fingers down the side of his face. As her fingers were about to make contact with his skin, Rumald's hand shot up and caught her arm by her wrist, stopping her from touching him. Belle urged Rumald to come, by tugging on his arm, talking to him in hushed tones.

A car screeched to a halt on the other side of Rumald and Milah. The driver's door was flung open and Killian hurriedly climbed out of his car. He was at Rumald's side in a shot to shove Rumald away from Milah, bumping him into Belle. Rumald groaned but held his ground, using the force to turn himself away from Milah to face Killian. The two stood toe to toe with one another. Killian showed his nervousness, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, whilst Rumald simply stood ready for whatever was about to come.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Killian warned.

Rumald chuckled at Killian's. "Gladly, dearie. Wouldn't want to ever touch her again."

"Rumald, please, let's go inside." Belle said, as she tried to persuade him to go inside by pressing a hand on his arm.

"Although," Rumald titled his head at Killian in thought before twisting himself to point at Milah. "You ought to tell her to stop touching me."

"What?" Killian scowled at Milah, who had suddenly lost her amused look.

"The amount of times I had to force her to leave my shop, because she came begging for me." Rumald shook his head from side to side. Listening to him, Belle did not know whether to be appalled or shocked by the change in him. She never thought Rumald would stoop to Milah's level.

Edging closer to Killian, Rumald said. "Oh, Rum, she would say. Please, Rum," Belle had never seen the grin that appeared on Rumald's face, full of glee. "Do me like you used to."

"You're lying." Killian spat.

"Am I, dearie?" Rumald retorted. The two stared each other down. It did not matter, whether Rumald was telling the truth or lying. Seeing him like that, enjoying the torment, made Belle question everything she knew about him. The sweet man who protectively held her at night. The caring man who would bring her lunch, knowing she had forgotten. Her Rumald, who was there for her no matter what, was not the man who stood in front of her. She had only seen this side of him a couple of times. The beast, who lingered in the shadows of his eyes.

Her hand slipped down his arm, the strength to hold onto him left her seeing him like that. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes, saddened by the sight of him. She knew he was in there, her sweet Rumald. But she could not stand there and witness this any longer. Belle did not want the image of her Rumald to be tainted by his beast.

Turning, Belle strode away and wiped the unshed tears away, refusing to believe she was wrong about him. She marched up the sidewalk, heading nowhere in particular, with the ghostly calls of 'Belle' following her up the street. Her heels scrapped on the sidewalk as her pace quickened, desperate to get away from his beast. The naïve thought that by gaining distance from him, she could pretend it was not him. It was someone else standing there, gleaming at the joy of causing someone else heartache.

"Belle!" Her name chased her down the sidewalk.

Angrily Belle wiped at her eyes. The more she wiped, the more tears welled in her eyes. She tried to blink them away, while she cursed the heaviness in her chest away.

"BELLE!" He yelled. The temptation to answer his call was hard to ignore.

A blur brushed passed her, causing her to stop dead with Rumald in front of her, panting heavily at her. "Belle!"

"Leave me alone." Belle ordered and went to take a step passed him.

He captured her by her elbows, a confused look on his face, as he asked. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Belle repeated snatching her arms out of his hold. "What's wrong is that my father was right. You're a beast!"

Her words hit their mark, his shoulders dropped with the heaviness of his realisation. Reluctantly Belle looked him in the eyes and she was overwhelmed by the anxious plea, she saw in his eyes. She could see his beast had gone, back residing in the darkness. It was hard to understand, how her Rumald could have such a darkness inside of him. Lingering for the chance to lash out, wanting to hurt whoever stood in his way.

Belle shook her head at the conflicting thoughts in her head and tried again to walk pass him. He reached out for her arm again, but Belle refused him, snatching her arm away, and carried on down the sidewalk away from him.

"Belle, please!" He called.


	65. Chapter 65

After walking away from Rumald, Belle had wandered around Storybrooke and hugged her arms around herself, as she had pondered over what had happened. It had not taken her long to find herself strolling out on the pier, her heels clicking and scraping on the weathered boards. Easing to a stop at the end of the pier, Belle leant onto the rail and watched the distant streetlights dance on the surface of the sea. She huffed down at them, trying to understand the guilt she felt weighing heavily down on her heart. When she had stood behind Rumald, watching the way he taunted Killian and Milah, she had been disgusted. But… Now she had time to think about it, she was more disgusted with herself for walking away from him. Something she had promised never to do.

Breathing in deeply through her nose, taking in the fresh sea air, Belle shook her head at herself. The look on his face, when she had called him a beast, kept coming to mind when she thought about him. All the times she had tried to convince him, he was not a beast, would mean nothing to him after she had called him a beast.

She groaned dropping her face onto her arms resting on the rail and inwardly kicked herself. Belle could not understand why this time, even after she had seen him fight like cat and dog with Milah and almost come to his tipping point with her, why this time she had such a problem with it. It was not as if he had struck Milah, not physically anyway. He had just used Milah's own medicine against her. Toying with Killian, as Milah would Rumald. Even then, Belle could not find a real reason to be upset with him. Not upset enough to walk away from him... or to call him a beast.

Raising her head up from her arms, Belle looked out distantly, hoping to get some answers to all her questions from the sea. She sighed knowing she would find no answers there and ambled back along the pier, and headed up Main Street. Storybrooke was a ghost town at that time of night. Most of the shops were in darkness, apart from the few with the shop name illuminated above the shop window. She neared her father's old shop, now called Petals of Storybrooke. Her feet slowed to a stop with her gaze fixed on the spot where Rumald and her father had an altercation. Standing there, she could see Rumald pinning her father to the shop front, his hand clasped around her father's throat. Not one thought of disgust came from the memory. She had not even worried that Rumald would hurt her father. If anything, the strength he had shown to overpower her father, who was at least three times the weight of Rumald, had excited Belle.

Her heels scraped against the sidewalk as she carried on down the sidewalk, tightly hugging herself to keep the cold night air away. As she strolled to a stop at the intersection, Belle was reminded of the night Rumald had walked her home from the Rabbit Hole after stepping in between herself and Keith. He had been there, protectively watching over her from a stool at the bar as she was out with the girls. A thrill swept through her body, thinking about how he had followed her to the bar, almost stalking her, to make sure no harm came to her. As much as she had not appreciated it at the time, she was grateful he had been there. Caring about her enough to put Keith flat out on the floor for touching her. Again, the skill and strength he had shown taking down Keith, who had a foot in height on Rumald, had incited Belle.

Belle crossed the intersection to the other side and walked along the fence line outside of the Grannies. Her eyes fleeted from the sidewalk to Grannies. Ruby and Grannie had long ago locked up. The diner was in darkness apart from the backing light for the menu. She was tempted for a second to see if Ruby was still awake, but without her phone, she did not want to wake Grannie or any of their guests by ringing the B&B bell.

With a long drawn out breath, Belle gazed up to the clock tower above the library, impartial to the clock hands showing it was nearly midnight. She pursed her lips at thought of walking home, when as she came to the next intersection, her gaze rose to look at his shop. The shop was shrouded in darkness with the only light coming from the shop sign lit above the front door, beckoning her to come to Mr Gold's pawnshop. As she gazed at his shop, Rumald's statement from earlier came back to her, teasing her with the image of Milah tempting Rumald to have sex with her. Belle swallowed at the bile taste in her mouth, as she thought about them together.

She squeezed her eyes shut at the sight of his shop and turned away from it, crossing the intersection to head in the direction of home. The streets were empty, her only company being the streetlights above her. It was a cold reminder of the times she would wander the streets after arguing with her father. Another fight over why she did not want to leave another house… another home. She had been so desperate to fight for each home they had lived in, needing to hold onto some kind of stability. A sad smirk came over her face, as she thought about how Rumald had given her the stability she had hungered for as a child. It pained her to think how he would give anything to ensure her happiness.

Following the bend in the sidewalk into their street, Belle could see her car parked further up the street, by the kerb outside the house. She loudly breathed in the cold night air, as she trudged her way across the street. As she stepped onto the opposite sidewalk, Belle glanced over her shoulder, surprised to hear a car pulling into their street behind her. The headlights blinded her for a moment, causing her to blink away the pain from the strong lights. Her eyes followed the car as best as she could through the pain, watching it drive on by and head to the other end of their street. For a second, she thought, hoped, it might have been Rumald.

Belle tiredly sauntered to their house and traipsed across the front lawn to the porch, shortcutting over the grass instead of using the path. With each step up the porch, she removed her heels in an attempt to keep her noise to a minimum. The boards of the porch quietly creaked as she tiptoed to the front door and tried the front door, slowly turning the door handle. She thanked the gods when it jerked open, freed from its restraint. Stepping inside, Belle quietly closed the door and locked it, while her gaze focused on the top of the staircase. The warmth of the house wrapped itself around her and welcomed her, chasing away the coldness that lingered on her skin. She smiled at the thought of being home and discarded her heels to the pile of shoes that had migrated to live under the coat hooks.

Walking by the bottom of the stairs towards the kitchen, Belle glanced up towards the upstairs landing, hoping they were both asleep. She headed into the kitchen and went straight over to the kettle, needing a hot drink to warm her insides. As she grabbed the kettle from its stand, Belle flicked on the light under the cabinet, illuminating the countertop, and turned to take the kettle to the sink. It was then she noticed the shadow sitting at the breakfast table and halted her movements.

A few seconds went by before the shadow stood up from the breakfast table and moved into the darkness. Belle was blinded by the main kitchen light turning on and blinked her eyes to focus on Rumald, as he crossed back to the breakfast table to retake his seat. He sat down without saying a word, his eyes on her, whilst he collected his beer from the table and drank from it. Breathing in deeply, Belle carried on to the sink and filled the kettle enough to make a drink. Nervously she pressed her lips together, enough to feel pain from it, and placed the kettle back onto its stand to turn it on.

Over her shoulder, she heard him stand up again and was aware of him coming nearer, sensing him walk into the kitchen area to open the cupboard under the sink. His beer bottle clattered against the other bottles in the trash. With the kettle beginning to gurgle, Belle concentrated on making herself a hot chocolate, dumping a couple of teaspoons into a cup she got herself out of the cabinet by her head. As she poured the boiling hot water into her cup, Belle glanced over her shoulder to see Rumald leant back against the sink, his arms crossed over his chest. She turned her gaze back to her cup of hot chocolate, while she placed the kettle back on its stand, and stirred at the thick hot chocolate.

"I went looking for you." He said behind her.

Belle picked up her hot chocolate and turned round to face him, mirroring him by leaning back against the counter behind her, as she said. "Sorry."

"I drove all over town trying to find you." Rumald told her, his gaze directed down at the floor. "I even asked people if they'd seen you, but no one would tell me."

"I'm sorry, Rumald." She told him, holding her hot cup between her hands, warming her cold fingers.

"I came back here and you weren't here. I went to Grannies, thinking you might have gone to Ruby, but you weren't there. I even drove out to Gladius's, hoping you were there." He unfolded one of his arms and waved it through the air as he spoke, keeping his other arm around his chest.

Guiltily she tore her gaze away from him and stared down at her hot chocolate. "I really am sorry."

"I was going mad, worrying about you!" He told her sternly, finally looking up from the floor to her.

"Rumald," Belle bravely looked up from her hot chocolate to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry for what I said. I really don't think you're a beast."

Rumald pulled at his tie. "I don't want to talk about it."

"We can't not talk about it." Belle told him, as she moved away from the kitchen counter to stand by the kitchen island.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Rumald insisted, whilst he unbuttoned some of the top buttons of his shirt.

Belle finished sipping from her hot chocolate and placed it on the kitchen island, saying. "You always say that, when you don't want to deal with something."

"Exactly! I don't want to deal with it!" His voice slightly rose in volume.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Belle questioned. "Just pretend it never happened?"

"Yeah, why not!" He squinted his eyes at her and waved his hand in a random direction.

"Is that what you did with Milah, pretend things didn't happen? Because I'm sorry, I'm not doing that." She shook her head at him in disagreement.

The glare he gave her would normally make anyone else shy away from him and let him win, but all it did arouse her. "You'd never understand."

"Try me." Belle told him, crossing her arms in front of her.

His nostrils flared at her and turned his head in the direction of the breakfast table. "You won't understand."

"How can I understand, if you won't talk to me?" She asked stepping over to him and laid her hands on top of his folded arms.

Closing his eyes, he stayed still as he said. "It's hard to talk to anyone about the things inside my head." He bowed his head. "I knew when I got with Milah, I had to try and be open with her. So I did." Rumald breathed in as he opened his eyes. "And all it got me was heartache. She uses everything that I told her about what happened with my father against me."

"I'm not Milah." Belle told him, squeezing his forearm.

"No, you're not." Rumald's face softened and he reached up to stroke his fingers over her cheek, making her hand cascade down his arm to his elbow. "You're more precious to me than she ever was to me."

Belle could feel a tear threaten to fall down her cheek, as she felt compelled to apologise to him again. "I'm so sorry, Rumald. I shouldn't have called you a beast or walked away from you."

"The only thing that hurt was when you walked away from me." He told her, letting his hand fall from her face.

"All I can say is that I'm sorry." Belle pleaded with him.

He titled his head to one side, mulling over something, and then coaxed her into his chest to wrap his arms around her. "I'm not used to people saying sorry to me."

"Well, get used to it," She mumbled into the crook of his neck. "Cause I feel like, I'll be saying it for the rest of our lives with the way I feel at the minute."

The weight of his head rested down on top of her head. "Just as long as it's our lives together."

"I'm not going anywhere, Rumald. I promise I'm never going to walk away from you again." Belle said to him, tightening her hold around him.

Her head raised up with his chest, when he took a deep breath and breathed it out, wafting her hair. "Come on, it's late. Let's go to bed. We can talk about this tomorrow, if you really want to."

"Okay." Belle uttered into his chest before stepping back from him. His hands trailed down from her back to her sides, and stopped on her hips as he walked in step with her away from the counter. He showed her a smile and grasped her hand to lead her from the kitchen. Following behind him, Belle trailed up the stairs and kept a hold of Rumald's hand.


	66. Chapter 66

Her paperwork was scattered all over her desk as she flicked between different pieces of paper, checking list after list. It felt like it was an endless task with more requisitions waiting in her in-tray. Sighing Belle sat back against her chair and glanced to the clock on the wall. Belle was grateful to see it was lunchtime and tossed her pen down onto the desk. As she pushed herself up from her chair, Belle tried to decide what she fancied for lunch and stepped around her desk to collect her thick coat from the coat stand. Whilst she shrugged her coat onto her shoulders, Belle used one of her hands to flick out her hair and the other to grab her bag from one of the chairs, which sat opposite her desk.

She came out of her office to find Janice hunched over the circulation desk, her lunch in her hands as she ate and read the book she had laid open on the desk. "Janice, I'm going to lunch."

"Okay." Janice managed to mumble around her mouthful of food, whilst her eyes never left the book in front of her. Belle watched Janice curiously and smiled, as she ambled to the door of the library and exited.

The cold breeze outside blew up Belle's legs and sent a shiver up her spine. She clutched her coat tighter around her, while her eyes went to Rumald's shop across the street. Rumald was behaving as though it was normal day, forgetting the previous evening's events. Coming down to breakfast, she had found him sat at the breakfast table, newspaper open in front of him as he nibbled at his toast and drank from his coffee. Albert had sat eating his breakfast whilst he watched YouTube on his phone. As she had sat down at the table with them, scooping at her bowl of cereal, she had felt his questioning gaze go between her and Rumald. They had chatted about their trip to the cabin at the weekend. Pretending like nothing had happened, made Belle feel uncomfortable.

Anytime she and Gaston had a disagreement, she would know about it for days afterwards. He would enjoy making her feel guilty, punishing her with snappy comments and by being distant with her. Where Rumald was being the polar opposite, talking to her as though nothing had happened, kissing her cheek whilst he lovingly squeezed her shoulder and left for the shop.

Belle pushed forward and headed over the intersection to the other side of the street. Heading to Grannies, Belle decided to take Rumald some lunch and try to talk to him about last night. A couple strolled towards Belle, happily chatting and laughing at each other. Her gaze followed them until it was too obvious she was watching them, jealous how their happiness was uninterrupted. She would give anything for a life where it was just them and Albert. Where nobody could interfere with them and their plans. Although, she had to admit to herself, the only two people who interfered with their relationship were her father and Milah. At least one of them had left town. She just hoped Milah would do the same after the baby was born, leaving Storybrooke to go back to Miami. As she climbed the steps to Grannie, Belle prayed to whoever was listening that they could make it happen for her.

Yanking open the door to the diner, the smell of from the kitchen enticed her to come inside and brought a smile to her face. Her stomach gurgled at the smell. Belle was sure everyone had heard her stomach, holding her hand over it, whilst she strode over to the counter to hop onto one of the stools.

"Hey!" Ruby called from behind Belle before appearing beside her at the end of the counter. "What was going on last night? Did Rumald find you?"

"Ah… Yeah, kind of." Belle shied away and chose to concentrate on retrieving her purse from her bag.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby asked leaning onto the counter with her forearms.

Dropping her shoulders, Belle lopped her head to one side as she said to Ruby. "I overreacted to something Rumald did and stormed off."

"Oh…" Ruby thought it over, looking between her notepad she clasped in her hands to Belle's face.

"Just more crap from Milah." Belle supplied to Ruby, clutching her purse between her hands.

Ruby gave Belle a lopsided smile. "Shouldn't let that bitch get to you."

"It wasn't so much her." Belle gazed down at her purse. "Rumald gave her a taste of her own medicine and put thoughts into Killian's head."

"Thoughts?" Ruby questioned, glancing around the diner.

Belle looked round to see if anyone was close enough to hear her, when she turned to Ruby to say. "He told Killian that Milah's been coming onto him."

"Wouldn't surprise me." Ruby told Belle, crossing her arms on the counter.

"It wouldn't?" Belle asked.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders at Belle. "I used to see her at the Rabbit Hole, kissing and dancing with other men. Not so much since she got pregnant."

Belle scowled at Ruby. "Is that why you suggested Milah's baby might be Rumald's?"

"God no!" Ruby exclaimed at Belle, causing a few of the diners to look over at them. "I was joking!"

"Don't joke about Rumald sleeping with other women. I don't like it." She mumbled, as her thumbnail dug into the leather of her purse.

Ruby laid her hand on top of Belle's, stopping Belle's thumb, as she asked. "You don't think Rumald would ever do that to you, do you?"

"No, I don't. It's just…" Belle paused, as she fought with the urge to change the subject, finally feeling the need to voice her inner demon. "I can't help but imagine him doing what Gaston did to me."

"Belle, honestly, if you could actually see the way he looks at you compared to other women, you'd know that would never happen." Ruby clenched at Belle's hand, reassuring her friend.

"I don't believe he would. It's… I'm going to sound mad saying this, but it's this little voice inside my head." Belle shared her demon with Ruby, feeling lighter for voicing it aloud.

Ruby shook her head and leant off the counter, holding her notepad posed ready in her hand. "You two are so suited, it's untrue." She told Belle with a smile and then asked. "What d'ya want for lunch?"

"Erm…" Belle glanced over the menu overhead and said. "I'll take two cheeseburgers and a large fries."

"Ordering for two now, are we? Something you want to tell me?" Ruby grinned at Belle, scribbling the order down onto her notepad.

"Not yet, aunty Ruby." Belle joked, opening her purse to pull out a twenty-dollar bill.

Scoffing at the money Belle offered her, Ruby waltzed off to the kitchen saying. "You know you're money's no good in here."

Belle watched Ruby walk away, while holding the twenty dollars out ready for Ruby to take. She still found it hard to accept the fact that Rumald had his fingers dipped into many of the businesses around town. The amount of times, she had gone to pay for things and found her money was refused infuriated her. Retracting her hand, Belle slipped the money back into her purse and put it back into her bag.

"Hey, Belle!" Leroy called from further down the counter.

Belle bent forward over the counter and gazed up the counter to see Leroy leaning across his friend. "Hey, Leroy."

"Any chance you'd come back to Grannies?" Leroy asked her, earning some chuckles from his friends either side of him.

"What? And give up my books?" Belle retorted back to him, smirking at him.

Leroy gestured towards where Ruby stood at the window for the kitchen. "Ruby doesn't leave things to the imagination and you do."

"I heard that!" Ruby hollered over her shoulder.

"Leroy, I didn't realise you had an imagination." Belle stated with an amused look on her face.

Walter and Tom, Leroy's friends either side of him, burst out laughing. Tom slapped Leroy on his back, making Leroy jerk forward against the counter. The glare Leroy gave Tom over his shoulder was comical, as Tom covered the smirk on his face with his hand. Leroy turned the glare to Walter just as Tom let out an almighty sneeze, projecting it over Leroy.

Belle fought the smirk on her face, as she watched Leroy give Tom an earful and slapped his friend around the back of the head. Shaking her head, she stepped off her stool seeing Ruby coming over to her with a Grannies take out bag. The two shared a knowing smile, as they exchanged the bag between them. Chuckling as the three friends began to bicker, Belle retreated to the exit and left before Leroy and his friends erupted into a full-scale argument.

Her amusement stayed with her as she exited Grannies and walked up the street in the direction of Rumald's shop. The smell of the food wafted back and forth as she walked, tempting her to dip into the bag on her way to his shop. Keeping her temptation at bay, Belle quickened her step and crossed the intersection, wanting to get to his shop before she could not help herself.

The bell above the shop door jangled as she entered. She had expected to see him behind the counter, beaming a smile as she entered and looked to the cash register to find he was not there. With a questioning look on her face, her gaze swept the room for him, finding it was just herself and the antiques in the front of his shop. She closed the door behind her and wandered further into the shop, her eyes inspecting the different wonders while she headed to the curtained doorway to the back room. Using her hand to hold back one of the curtains, Belle peeked through to see Rumald stood at his workbench with his back to her. She smiled finally finding him and stepped through into the back room.

As Belle got nearer to him, she noticed he had his earphones in his ears, listening to his music as he worked on the clock that he had in pieces on the workbench. Belle placed her bag and the takeout from Grannies onto the workbench behind him and snuck up behind him. Tiptoeing to see over his shoulder, she watched his hands work carefully placing a gear back inside the clock.

Belle grinned looking up from his hands to his face, unaware she stood behind him. Lightly, she glided her hands over the smooth material of his waistcoat and stepped forward to press herself against his back, her hands snaked to the front of him. His back straightened and then relaxed after he titled his head to see her over his shoulder.

"Belle," He said and tugged an earpiece out of his ear. "You okay?"

"Yep." Belle replied snuggling her face against the curve of his back. "You?"

"I'm okay." Rumald told her, placing the piece of the clock he had in his hand on the workbench. He lifted his arm above her head, whilst he remove his other earphone, and turned inside her arms to wrap his arms around her. Angling his head to see her, Rumald smiled and with a gentle hand on the back of her head, inclined her head to rest against his chest.

The warmth of him radiated through his thin shirt and caressed her cheek, as she told him. "I brought you some lunch."

"Mmm… I was just thinking about nipping out to get something." He said resting his cheek against the top of her head. "Smells good."

"Come on, let's eat, I got loads of paperwork waiting for me." She told him, dragging herself away from him and out of his embrace. His hands lingered near her, helplessly following her to the other workbench.

Glancing over her shoulder at him, Belle opened the bag of takeout food from Grannies and reached inside the bag to grab a cheeseburger for him. She handed it over to him, smiling as their fingers brushed over one another, and reached back into the bag to get the remaining cheeseburger for herself. As he unwrapped his cheeseburger, Rumald sat back against the workbench and bit into his burger. The heavenly sigh he groaned at tasting the cheeseburger, made Belle beam as she unwrapped her own.

"I always love her cheeseburgers." Rumald confessed and took another bite out of his burger.

"There's some fries in the bag as well." She pointed to the bag on the workbench. His eyes widened at the suggestion. Angling himself over the bag, Rumald nosed inside and delved inside to grab some fries. Belle ate some more of her burger, as she observed Rumald munch on the fries he had fed into his mouth.

"Got much done?" Belle asked between mouthfuls.

Rumald pressed his eyebrows down over his eyes in thought and said. "I finished cleaning a pocket watch this morning." He motioned his hand towards the clock in pieces. "I'm just in the middle of rebuilding a mantel clock for Malory Trificant."

"Lilly Trificant's mother?" She inquired and bit into her burger.

"Think so." Rumald said with a frown, as his hand dipped into the bag for more fries.

Belle gazed at the clock in pieces. "It amazes me, how you're able to remember where every piece went."

"I've always liked puzzles." He shared with her. "Probably the reason my father insisted I stripped and rebuilt clocks."

His candidness threw her for a second. He never shared anything about his childhood. Belle watched him finish the last of his burger and screwed up the wrapper to toss onto the workbench. As his hand delved into the bag for more fries, she scrutinised him and took another bite from her burger.

"Are you going to be late home, if you've got paperwork to do?" Rumald asked, picking a fry from the pile of fries he held in the palm of his hand.

"No, I shouldn't be." She smiled at him. His head nodded at the information whilst he fed another fry into his mouth. It felt like all the other times she had brought him lunch, chatting about nothing consequential. Except Belle could feel the elephant in the room. The damn thing had followed them to bed last night, had slept between them, had watched them get dress and eat breakfast. Now it was sitting in the back room of Rumald's shop, nudging her whilst it playfully mocked her about Rumald's old habits.

The paper bag rustling interrupted Belle's thoughts. Opening the bag wider with his hand, Rumald screwed his lips up at the sight inside the bag and dropped the bag of fries back onto the workbench.

"There's some fries left in the bag for you, sweetheart." He informed her pushing himself away from the workbench and moseyed by her, heading over to the kitchen area in the opposing corner. "Tea?"

Belle twisted herself to observe him, watching as he checked the kettle and clicked it on. "No, I'll have one when I go back to the library."

Rumald twirled round on the heel of his shoe, his brow was creased in thought with his hands splayed over the top of his waistcoat. "I brought something back from Scotland for you."

"You did?" She inquired, her interested evident in her voice.

"The wake was held at my father's house." He told her whilst he moved over to the cabinet, sitting against the back wall of the shop. "When I was there," He paused bending down to open the bottom cupboard and pulled out a large leather bound book. "I remembered how you were asking about pictures of me at the cabin. So I… Borrowed this from his house." Rumald said, as he knocked the cabinet shut with his foot and carried the large book over to her.

Belle popped the last bit of her burger into her mouth and furiously wiped her fingers down the front of her coat, her eyes fixed on the brown leather book in his hands. He walked pass her and placed it carefully down onto the workbench beside the bag of fries. As she stepped beside him, brushing up against his arm, Belle gazed down at the book. Rumald's hand firmly pressed down onto the cover, preventing her from opening it. Her eyes travelled up his arm to his face, the neutral look on his face she could tell was a poor attempt of putting up his mask, his eyes let him down by showing her the uncertainty he was fighting.

His Adam's apple visibly bobbed before he kinked his head slightly in her direction. "I've been thinking about what you said last night. And you're right." His shoulder's sagged. "If you're going to understand, then I need to be open with you. I need to share everything with you."

She could not find anything to say to him. Too overwhelmed to find the right words, scared if she said the wrong thing, it would break the spell over him. Scared to even move, in case her movement would spook him like a wild animal, causing him to run back behind the safety of his walls. Gazing up at him, Belle could see the last of his walls teetering as his eyes stared down at his hand on the book.

The sound of the kettle clicking made Rumald jump. He timidly glanced at Belle over his shoulder and then watched his own hand slide off the leather bound book. Slowly Rumald stepped back away from it; his eyes shifted from the book to Belle before he spun round and quickly went over to tend to the kettle. Belle shifted closer to the large leather bound book and gently laid her hand on the cover where Rumald's hand had been seconds ago. She could still feel the heat from his hand emanate from the cover of the book.

On the front of the brown leather book, inscribed into the leather with gold ink was 'The Gold Family Album'. Breathing in a shaky breath, Belle moved her hand to the edge of the cover and hooked her fingers around the edge of it to open it. Her eyes immediately went to picture of a young couple sat close together, while the young woman kissed the cheek of the bearded man. The picture looked quite old along with the couples hairstyles and clothing.

Turning the page, the spine of the book creaked and cracked as Belle pushed the page to one side. There were a few pictures, mostly of the young couple again, some taken when they were posing whilst others had been taken when the couple were not expecting it. One of the pictures, where they had been unaware they were being snapped, the couple were sat under a tree. The young woman was sat between the man's legs, resting back against his chest as he sat up against the tree trunk. Apart from the man's beard, Belle could see the resemblance: the same nose, the same ears, the same loving look. She could even see Albert as she studied Rumald's, father's profile.

Belle flicked to the next page and blinked her eyes at the bright picture of the young couple. From the way they were dressed and the pretty flowers decorating the young woman's hair, she assumed it was their wedding day. They were stood posing in front of a grand building, Rumald's father was stood behind the young woman, his arms circled her waist as the smile on his face pushed his cheeks back, closing his eyes, just like Rumald's smile. The young woman was bent forward, laughing hard, presumably, at something that had happened or had been said. Belle could not help but smile at the young woman, her smile was infectious.

"My mother." Rumald pointed to the picture. She had not heard him come up beside her and was startled by his hand invading her view of the picture. His hand gracefully retracted from over the picture and fell to his side.

Flashing a smile at him, Belle nodded her head to the picture. "She was very beautiful."

He showed no sign of registering what she had said and sipped at his coffee, his eyes fixed on the face of his mother. Pursing her lips at him, Belle decided to turn the page in the photo album, finding more pictures from Rumald's parents wedding day. She flicked on, finding pictures of the couple in different locations: London, Egypt, Paris, New York and many other locations.

The pace she turned the pages slowed and she stopped to look at a picture of Rumald's mother. She was not aware the photo was being taken. She was distantly looking out of the window, her bare feet rested on the windowsill in front of her, whilst she sat in a chair with her hand splayed over the bump of her stomach. Belle's breath hitched knowing the young woman was pregnant with Rumald in the photo. To think of him ever being a baby was unimaginable, but to think of him being inside the woman in the photo was even more unbelievable.

Rumald turned away as Belle turned to the next page in the photo album. The way the two pages had been laid out were a complete contrast to each other. All the pictures previously had been stuck down on different angles, someone had took their time to position them, putting all their love and care into making sure it was perfect. The one page was of this layout, with pictures of Rumald's pregnant mother with Rumald's father. The pictures on the other page had been measured out, stuck in block lines across the page, not taking the care that had previously been taken with the other pictures. The time shift between the pictures of Rumald's pregnant mother to pictures of a toddler was drastic.

"She died." He explained next to her, drawing her attention from the photo album to him.

Belle looked back down to the pictures on display. "There's none of you as a baby."

"There's some, but not in that album." Rumald said and sipped at his coffee. "Mostly in my aunts' collections. My father didn't want them." He twisted his body to point to the photos of him as a toddler. "The only reason these are in here, is because my aunts made the point to my father that my mother would have wanted him to keep adding pictures to the album."

"Gladius said your father blames you for your mother's death." Belle stated to him, as she turned to another page and gushed at a picture of a young Rumald sat amongst a pile of wrapping paper, towered over by decorated Christmas tree behind him.

"He blames everyone for her death, but yes, mostly me." He said with his voice growing quieter as he spoke.

She pointed to the picture of him she adored and nudged her elbow into him. "Happy little Rumald."

Half-heartedly his gaze went to the photo. "That was my aunt Josey's house. My father doesn't celebrate Christmas. Never celebrated my birthday's either, unless you call getting blind drunk on his own celebrating it."

"Oh…" Hearing the sadness in his voice, Belle grew solemn as she turned to the next page in the photo album. There was a large picture of a young boy clinging to the leg of his father, both dressed in three-piece suits. The boy was gazing up expectantly at his father, who was looking elsewhere but at his son. Rumald's father coldly stood, ignoring the loving gaze his son was giving him, as he held a cigarette to his mouth.

"I was and I am nothing to my father." Rumald mumbled down at his coffee cup. "I was told that when I was baby, he tried to put me up for adoption. But my mother's family and my father's parents intervened."

The despair in his words called to Belle. Taking his cup of coffee from him to put onto the workbench, Belle tugged on his waistcoat to draw him into her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, clenching at the collar of his shirt. Burying his face into her hair, Rumald breathed in a shaky breath and slid his arms around her. Gradually his arms tightened, clinging to her, while his hands grabbed handfuls of her thick coat.

Rumald's hot breath washed over Belle's neck, as he said. "It would've been better, if they'd let him put me up for adoption. At least then, I wouldn't have been lonely."

"Oh, Rumald." She tenderly soothed her hand down the back of his head.

"When Milah wrote to me about being pregnant," He mumbled with his lips moving against her skin. "She had proposed putting Bae up for adoption when he was born."

"Really?" Belle said, even though she was not surprised.

"I couldn't let her do that. I didn't want my child to know the pain I went through." Rumald confessed to her, inclining himself away from Belle, so he could see her face.

She clasped his face between her hands and braced a kind smile for him. "And you've done that! You're a brilliant father!"

"I also didn't want him to grow up without both parents. I failed him, because… I wasn't going to be a doormat for her anymore. To anyone. He gave me the strength to be more than the sniffling little boy in those pictures." He told her and pointed to the photos in the album. "That's what she uses against me. Milah constantly reminds me of the weak man, who couldn't say no to her… who's nothing."

"But you're not nothing, Rumald. You're my everything." Belle stroked her thumb against his cheek. His eyes began to glisten, touched by her omission. Pressing his hands across her back, Rumald brought her closer and tenderly kissed her as his hands snaked over her back. She caressed her hands from his cheeks, dipping under his ears, to slide her fingers into his hair, cradling his head in her hands.

She gasped when Rumald nipped at her lower lip, but Rumald clasping his mouth over hers, seeking out her tongue with his, muffled her cry. His touches became needy, clutching and tugging at her coat, whilst he shuffled them backwards to push her against the shelving, which lined the one wall of the back room. Belle was not sure what exactly he needed until he plunged his arms, one at a time, under her coat. It brought them closer together, only the thin layers of their clothing keeping them apart.

The shelving pressed painfully into her back, with Rumald squashing his full weight up against her. Belle was beginning to overheat with the warmth of their bodies cocooned inside her thick coat. The heat, and his body restricting her chest, made it harder to breathe. Desperate to draw a breath, she placed her hand on Rumald's shoulder and pushed his weight from her chest, allowing her to take a full breath as he kissed his way down her chin to her neck. Rumald inclined her away from the shelving to reach up inside her coat to remove it from her shoulders, pushing on the inside of her coat. She let him remove it; thankful she would be a lot cooler with it off and wound her arms under his to gain access to his back, spreading her hands over the silk material of his waistcoat.

Her head knocked against the shelving as she lulled her head back, trapped between Rumald and the shelving, while he nipped and kissed her neck. Belle dug her nails into his waistcoat, when he kissed at her jugular on show at the neck of her blouse. She could feel her blouse loosening, while his kisses travelled down her sternum that he was exposing.

"Rumald," Belle's voice was hoarse. "I've got to get back."

Rumald was deaf to her half-hearted plead. Bending her head down to watch him, Belle threaded her fingers into his hair when he stooped to run the tip of his tongue up the valley of her breasts. Her chest rose and fell heavily as she listened to him moan at the taste of her, licking his lips whilst he looked up at her. The want on his face was enough for her to forget about going back to work, to forget about anything beyond the four walls of his shop.


	67. Chapter 67

Lying in Rumald's arms, Belle was wide-awake as she gazed through the gap, between the curtains, at the darkness outside the cabin. The openness he had shown to her, since their afternoon in his shop, was weighing heavily down on her heart. His openness made her feel guilty. He was telling her things that even he admitted he had never shared with Milah, such as how his father had given him the scar on his upper lip. However, she was yet to share with him, the one secret that pained her the most.

She was disgusted with herself for not being able to shake the thought of Rumald and Milah. Since Rumald had goaded Killian, every night she snuggled up against Rumald and closed her eyes, she hoped she would not have the same nightmare again. It started the same every night. Rumald would be in the back of his shop, restoring a piece of furniture, when Milah would enter through the back door of his shop. After a brief argument, Milah would stroke her fingertips down the side of his face and would kiss him. Pulling back enough to see Rumald's face, their eyes would lock, sharing a carnal look with one another. Rumald would stroke his fingers through Milah's hair and then grab a handful of her hair, tugging back her head to make a small cry of pain usher from her open lips. He would grin at her, gradually allowing her to lower her head until he was able to kiss her forcefully, digging his fingertips into her cheeks as he clasped her face in his hand. There was no love between them; it was purely an animalistic need for a release and a chance for Rumald to punish Milah for what she did to him. Just the image of them, gyrating over one of his workbenches, was the last straw before Belle would wake herself.

Belle knew the instant she closed her eyes, her nightmare would begin and she was not going to allow it to ruin her day. They had been so happy. Albert had woken them up by running into their room and bounced up and down on the foot of the bed, much like a child at Christmas. She had giggled at his excitement, while Rumald had used his foot to shove Albert off the end of the bed. Stuffing his pillow back under his head, Rumald had settled into his pillow and closed his eyes pulling the covers up and over his shoulder. The fight that had ensued afterwards had Belle crying with laughter, as Albert fought to get his father out of the bed and had ended with Albert pulling Rumald out of the bed by his leg.

After breakfast, the boys had spent the morning preparing their quad bikes, planning to take them down one of the trails through the woods. She had watched them happily from the decking, wrapped warmly in a blanket from the cabin, while she read her book. The relationship they shared always astounded her. Rumald was so attentive to Albert, teaching him things as they checked over the engines of the quad bikes. What they had was the relationship Rumald had wanted with his own father. The care and love Rumald had cried for from his father, he gave all of that to Albert, which was why he was an excellent father and she could not wait to give him more children.

When they had finished lunch, they had fired up the quad bikes and Rumald had helped Albert put on some protective gear and his helmet. With a kiss and a promise, not be long, from Rumald, Belle had watched the two of them race off down a trail, mud and grass flicking up from rear wheels of their quad bikes. The engines of their quad bikes echoed through the trees, as she had sat reading her book.

The next time she had looked up from her book, she had smiled seeing Rumald appear from the treeline and had skidded to a halt at the end of the decking. He had been covered head to toe in mud, as he had sat on the quad bike while he had removed his helmet and gloves. Ruffling his hair, he had smiled at her and had used his finger to gesture for her to come to him. Belle had given him a disbelieving look, but had done as he had beckoned and had gone over to him, leaving her blanket on the chair.

"Come on." He had told her shifting back on the quad bike and had patted his hand on the seat between his legs.

"Oh, no." She had shook her head at him and had gone to go back to her book, when Rumald had caught her hand and had used her own momentum to sling her back round to face him.

"Come on, sweetheart." Rumald had crooned at her with a cheeky grin, as he had exchanged her hand between his own and helped her to climb onto the bike. Giving him a glare, she had slung her leg over the quad bike and had sat down between his legs. He had shifted up behind her and had rested his chin down onto her shoulder, as his hands had lazily sat on top of her thighs.

She smiled remembering how he had talked her through changing the gears and had been patient with her as she had stalled the quad bike several times. They had laughed and cheered together, when she had finally been able to drive the quad bike round to the front of the cabin and had drove the bike back to park by the decking. Rumald had hugged her tightly against him and kissed her neck just behind her ear.

Her thoughts were disturbed, when Rumald's face snuggled further into her hair and his arm, slung over her waist, briefly squeezed her. Belle shut her eyes, hating herself. Crooking her head to see him over her shoulder, she carefully clasped his arm and lifted it to allow herself to shift away from him. When she was clear of his arm, Belle laid it into what she thought would be a comfortable position for him and got out of bed. She paused at the bottom of the bed to gaze at him, sleeping soundly as he lightly snored into her pillow.

Picking up her hoodie from the chair, she had discarded it before bed, and padded out of their room, pulling the hoodie over the top of her head. As she passed Albert's room, Belle peeped through the gap into Albert's room to see his leg hanging out of his bed. Belle smiled and pushed opened his door to go to him. She crept across his room to him and lifted his covers enough to put his leg back into the bed, and drew the covers up to tuck under his chin. Standing over him, Belle stroked her hand over his short hair, ruffling his short locks. He murmured in his sleep and snuggled into his pillow. She grinned and quietly left his room, pulling the door closed behind herself.

She ambled through into the living room and flopped onto the couch, groaning at her physical and mental tiredness. Laying the back of her hand against her forehead, Belle stared up at the ceiling of the cabin, praying for the strength to be honest with him. If she were not so afraid of how he would react, she would tell him everything. She wanted to tell him, how Gaston had left her feeling like no man could ever be trusted. How this thing lurked on her shoulder, when she saw him talking to women or even dared to touch them. Before he had said what he said to Killian, she had control over it, now it was running amuck and was driving her crazy.

"Belle?" Rumald sleepy voice called for her.

Closing her eyes, Belle rubbed her hand down her face. "I'm here."

"It's two in the morning." He told her with the sound of his feet padding closer. "Come back to bed."

"I will in a bit. Go back to bed, Rumald." Belle instructed him, as she removed her hand to see Rumald leaning onto the back of the couch.

"You okay?" He asked leaning down onto the back of the couch with his forearms, bringing them closer. She could just about make out his face in what light there was, highlighting the creased lines across his forehead. The concern on her face made her feel worse, driving the guilt straight into her heart.

"Yeah, just… A bad dream, that's all." She said to him, hoping it would be enough for him to accept and go back to bed without her. His head titled to the side, sizing up her answer, before he pushed himself up from the back of the couch, and rambled around the couch. A small groan of annoyance escaped her, as Rumald collected her legs to lift up from the couch and sat down, edging closer to her, whilst he laid her legs over his lap.

"Rumald, go to bed." Belle insisted, shifting to get comfortable, as Rumald pulled down the legs of her pyjama bottoms, covering her legs for her.

His hand smoothed down her leg, as he said. "If you tell me to go to bed, one more time, then I'll know something's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong." She told him, moving the cushion behind her head. Seeing she was trying to get more comfortable, Rumald grabbed the cushion from the other end of the couch and offered it to her. Belle eyed the cushion for a second and then took it from him, tucking it behind her head.

"Thank you." Belle sat up enough to move the cushions and sat back, grateful for the extra cushion.

His hand squeezed at her thigh. "Do you want to tell me about your dream?"

"Not particularly." She said, reaching out to his arm to trace her fingers up and down his forearm.

"How about this then," Rumald said inclining himself towards her and captured her fingers with his hand on his forearm. "I'll tell you my dream and then if you like my dream, you have to tell me yours?"

"You'll tell me your dream and only if I like it, do I have to tell you mine?" Belle rephrased his deal, clarifying the terms with him.

"Yep." He replied cheerily. She could hear the smile on his lips.

The corner of her lip tugged into a lopsided smile, as she said. "Deal."

Rumald sat up straight against the back of the couch, as he began to rub his hand up and down her leg. "I dream about us sat on the patio at home. You're relaxing with your book and poking me with your foot, when I stop rubbing your legs." He chuckled. "Then this little girl, who looks like you, comes running out of the house and jumps into my lap, crying for me to read to her."

Hearing him, recount his dream to her, brightened Belle's mood. "You want a little girl?"

"I don't care, as long as they're healthy." Rumald stated to her.

"Gladius said you were a little disappointed, when you found out Albert wasn't a girl." Belle trailed her fingernails up his bicep to his shoulder. "And that you and Milah… Tried for another baby."

"I think I need to have a conversation with Gladius, about keeping her big mouth shut." He grumbled, as Belle raked her fingers down from his shoulder to his elbow.

Awkwardly Belle sat up and hooked her hand around his neck, using him to help herself into a sitting position. "Don't be like that. She didn't tell me to cause trouble."

"No, it's just more Milah shit that you shouldn't have to deal with." Rumald told her, whilst he lifted her easily up from the couch and dropped her down onto his lap.

"Whoa!" Belle exclaimed, shocked by him moving her.

Rumald stretched his neck to one side, as he said. "Sorry, you were hurting my neck."

"Hmm…" She hummed at him enjoying the advantage she had over him and slid her arm around his neck, and rested her forehead against his. "If only Bae wasn't here."

"Never stops us at home." He said as he stroked some of her hair out of their faces. They smirked at each other, both of them were thinking of the desperate exploits of their bedroom, where they had hushed each other's cries of pleasure.

Pulling at the short hair at the back of his head, Belle titled his head to give her access to his lips and sucked his top lip into her mouth. He groaned at the pleasure as she slowly released his lip and grated it between her teeth. Belle felt empowered by the way his body reacted to her. About to do the same to his lower lip, Rumald stopped her by clasping her by her shoulders and held her back. She gave him a questioning look, as he lowered his head to look at her above him.

"You're not going to distract me." Rumald's voice was husky as he spoke. "We had deal, dearie."

Belle bit her lip at him recalling the deal they had made moments ago. There was nothing about his dream, she could say she did not like. She would give anything to him, if she could trade his dream for her dream. However, as she finished her thought, Belle shook her head forcefully at it, not wanting him to have dreams about himself and Milah having sex. She did not want him having any thoughts, which involved his ex-wife, or any woman, having sex with him.

"Hey." He called quietly to her, caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers. Closing her eyes Belle nosedived her face into the crook of his neck, seeking comfort from the smell of him and the warmth he radiated. Rumald cradled her against him, clinging to her hoodie and her thigh.

"Please talk to me, sweetheart." Rumald whispered into her ear, laying his head against her.

Belle crushed her eyes shut tighter. "I'm too disgusted with myself to tell you."

His whole body stiffened beneath her. Belle opened her eyes thinking about her word choice. She cursed herself for giving him fuel to have the wrong idea. The beat of his pulse against her nose quickened, thudding the beat hard against the end of her nose.

"Belle?" His voice was shaky. At saying her confession and hearing his voice, Belle knew she had gone too far now to not tell him now. If she tried to change the subject, it would only give Rumald more just cause to think that something was going on or to think the worse about her. Knowing he had thought the worse about her, because of finding Gaston kissing her and what her father had told him, she could not bear for him to go through that again. Belle did not want him to be tortured by old demons. It was enough that her own demon was relentlessly torturing her.

Rumald deserved better.

He deserved the same candour he was slowly giving to her and to Albert as well. They had all sat at the breakfast table one evening, flicking through 'The Gold Family Album'. Albert had pointed at certain photos of Rumald as a child and poked fun at his father's choice of clothing. Bravely Rumald had laughed off his son's jokes and sat back as the two of them went through the family album. Even Albert had to admit, as they went through the book, he had never seen pictures of his father as a child. The more intrigued Albert became, the more he asked Rumald questions, putting his father on an awkward spot. But with their hands clasped under the table, Rumald had found the strength to tell them. Sharing with them the stories behind certain pictures or the confusion as he tried to remember others.

Peeling herself away from him, Belle sat up on his lap and stroked her thumb down his face. "I love you, you know that?"

"Course I do!" He clasped her hand against his face. "And I love you."

"So when I tell you this, please don't get mad at me." Belle beseeched him, pleading with her eyes at him.

His face contorted, showing the sadness he felt at her plead. "I won't. I promise."

Belle took a steadying breath. "We know we both have our problems." She began to tell him. "Except yours have been a bit more apparent than mine."

"Yeah, one of which is five foot seven and won't go away." Rumald scoffed at mentioning Milah.

"Well… At least one of mine went away, when my father left town." Belle pushed on before she changed her mind. "And one of my other problems, I am learning to live with. But… Especially after what happened this week, I can't shake my other problem."

"What'd you mean?" He asked scrunching his eyebrows together at her.

She closed her eyes, unable to bear looking at him as she told him. "When I found Gaston in bed with that woman, it changed me much like Milah leaving you changed you." She paused. "I hate the fact that no matter how much I don't want to, I can't stop thinking how… How you're going to… That I'm going…"

"Belle," Rumald cupped her face between his hands, the feel of his warm hands made her open her eyes to look at him. "Tell me."

"I can't stop thinking that you're going to do what Gaston did to me." Belle could feel herself tear up by the end of her sentence, but she also felt a wash of relief over herself as she finally voiced her dark secret to him.

His gaze was tender whilst he stroked his thumbs over her cheeks. She waited with baited breath for him to say something, to say anything about her confession to him, but he said nothing. Just simply held her face between his hands. To receive no reaction from him put Belle slightly on edge, as she searched within his eyes for a glimmer of hope that he did not hate her. She could not bear it, if her secret ruined everything between them.

Rumald licked his lips before he spoke. "Is that the dream?"

"Not quite." She said in a small voice.

"Then tell me about the dream." He urged removing his hands from her face and rested them near her hips. Shyly Belle tore her eyes away from him, ashamed by the details of her dream.

Clasping at her chin, Rumald turned her face back to look at him and slowly let go of her chin, letting his fingers trace down her skin until his hand fell. "Tell me."

She pursed her lips into a tight line. "You're in your shop, working on something in the back room, when Milah comes in through the back door of the shop." Rumald settled further back into the couch listening to her. "You start arguing, getting into each other's faces and Milah kisses you. You both pull back and look at each other before you're both over each other. It's not love making. It's rough."

Belle sheepishly looked at Rumald to see his reaction, but saw nothing but indifference. "You shove her down onto one of the workbenches and you're doing her from behind, when I walk in from the front of the shop."

The silence between them was thick. Rumald remained stoic as he waited for more of the tale to be told. She tried to sigh away her nervousness, as she fidgeted with a fingernail and dug her thumbnail underneath it.

"Is that it?" He asked. "You walk in on me fucking my ex-wife?"

"Yes." Belle muttered quietly, ashamed to look up from her fingers to his face.

"Is this what's been keeping you awake all week? Dreaming of that?" Rumald questioned her.

She shut her eyes. "Yes."

"Belle," His call enticed her to look to his face. "I would never – ever – do that to you."

"I know you wouldn't! I do, I know!" Belle told him in a hurry.

Rumald tenderly ran his finger down the side of her face, turning his hand over to brush the back of his fingers down her cheek. "I could never hurt you like that. I love you too much to ever put you through that again. I know how it feels. Hence why I would rather die than do that to you."

"Rumald, honestly, I don't think you would!" She declared to him, placing her hand onto his bare chest over his heart.

"I heard you, but I'm telling you, I will never do that to you." He affirmed clutching her face between his hands, refusing to allow her to turn her gaze away from him, making her see the truth in his eyes. "You are not the only one who has those thoughts. I can't stand to see you talking to another man, especially if he's younger than me."

"Rumald, I wouldn't…" Belle tried to tell him, but he cut her off. "I trust you. I have to. Otherwise it would drive me up the wall."

His directness was so refreshing and eased her at the same time. She knew he had not fixed the scar Gaston had gashed into her heart. Nothing would ever fix it, just as she could not fix the one Milah had stabbed into Rumald's. But if she held onto the memory of that night, remembered how he made the point to reassure her, Belle was more than sure she could work through this with him. Along with all the other problems, they carried between them.

"I love you more than anything, Belle." He told her leaning forward as he drew her down to him, and kissed her.


	68. Chapter 68

Belle stood slurping on the straw in her drink, whilst she admired the wedding dress on display in the store window. The gown was elegant, plain but elegant. She could tell just by looking at it, and by there being no price displayed at the foot of it, unlike the other dresses, that it was the most expensive on show. Twisting her lips at it, she imagined herself wearing it as she came down the aisle to Rumald and saw the look on his face. She quirked an eyebrow, when it occurred to her that they had not discussed what they wanted for their wedding. They had not even had the chance to celebrate their engagement with their family and friends.

As she began to wander away from the store window, Belle let her thoughts drift away from wedding dresses and smiled as she thought about Rumald. Since the night at the cabin, the reassurance he offered her everyday was more than she could have ever asked for from him. It was not as though he was making a point of it. He had developed a sixth sense for when her demon was creeping up onto her shoulder.

The first instance Rumald had been there for her, he had been meeting her at the school for the parents evening. Belle had spotted him, stood listening to Principal Mills, smiling and nodding his head when it was required. She had been fine with it until Zelena had moved closer to Rumald, brushing herself against him. The demon clawed its way up onto her shoulder. It had surprised her when Rumald had quickly jumped away from Zelena and excused himself. It should not have been a surprise to her. However, to see his reaction, when he had not known she was watching him, gave her some strength to push her fear off her shoulder. But it had clung to her, hovering at the back of her mind, until Rumald had found her in the crowd and whispered sweet nothings into her ear, telling her how she was the only one for him and she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Hey!" Ruby called, startling Belle out of her thoughts. "Look what I got!"

Ruby pulled out a piece of red fabric out of bag and held it up for Belle to see, asking. "What d'ya think?"

"Ruby… Where's the rest of it?" Belle asked, raising an eyebrow at the flimsy top.

"You're starting to sound like, Grannie." Ruby commented and stuffed the garment back into the plastic bag. Shaking her head at Ruby, Belle slurped at her drink and strolled along with Ruby, glancing in through the store windows.

The whole purpose of their shopping trip to the mall was to get a head start on Christmas shopping. Especially as Belle was having problems trying to think of things to buy Rumald. Everyone else, she could easily think of things to buy them. When it came to Rumald, her mind would go blank and all she could think to buy him was another necktie. He already had many of the things he wanted, he bought whatever he needed and sourced out things he required. He was impossible.

"Oh, Grannie asked, if you and Rumald had plans for thanksgiving?" Ruby asked.

Belle turned her gaze from the store windows to Ruby. "I think we're going to Gladius's."

"Is Milah going to be there?" Ruby questioned, giving Belle a sly smile.

"Err… I wouldn't think so…" Belle raised an eyebrow at Ruby's question. "But then, it is a family holiday."

Ruby giggled and leaned into Belle. "You should have seen her in Grannies the other day. She's so big now that she couldn't get in one of the booths."

"I'm not surprised, she's due in the next couple of weeks." She said to Ruby, when a mechanical clock on display in a store window caught her eye. Slowing her pace to a stop, Belle watched the intricate workings of the clock, aweing as several ball bearings ran the track keeping the timing of the clock.

"That means she's due any day!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Yep." Belle muttered as her eyes followed one of the ball bearings up a lift and begin its way down the track again. "Rumald would love this."

"I'm sure he would." Ruby said, as she stooped to read the price tag in front of the clock. "But its two grand."

Belle gaped her mouth at the clock and then looked at Ruby, before she bent over to check the price for herself. "You're joking!"

"Where would you put it anyway? There's no room in your house for something like that." Ruby said gesturing at the clock on the other side of the glass.

"Maybe they've got a smaller version… or a cheaper one inside." Belle said to Ruby, but was more reassuring herself that she could possibly afford something he would like.

"Come on," Ruby tugged at Belle's arm. "Let's go inside and have a look then."

Glancing between Ruby and back at the clock in the window, Belle followed behind Ruby and entered the store with her. The store was full of different gadgets and wonders. There were many things in the store, which would have suited either Rumald or Albert. Father and son were both into their gadgets. Though Rumald's were more antique to the small collection Albert had in his bedroom, but Albert had definitely inherited his father's interest in collecting unusual items. His main interest was cameras from the 1960s he was collecting, which was spurred by his media and film studies.

"Hey, look at this!" Ruby picked up a box. "Illuminating toilet seat!"

Belle rolled her eyes. "Oh my god! Put that down!"

"You live in a house of men. Don't you think you need this? I know I could do with this for when guys stay over." Ruby suggested, as she turn the box over to read the blurb on the back.

"My boys are trained." Belle told her, frowning at another box on display, which showed a man sat on a toilet playing golf.

"Maybe I should do a toilet seat test before I go out with a guy." Ruby considered to herself and put the box back onto the shelf. Chuckling at Ruby, Belle moseyed passed Ruby and eyed over the different things on the shelves.

At the back of the room, Belle spotted a display of clocks similar to the one in the store window. Excusing herself through the shoppers, Belle came to stand in front of the display and smiled at the different array of clocks, marvelling at their intricate workings. She stooped to take a closer look at one of the clocks, wondering if Rumald would be able to dismantle it and put it back together. They looked more complicated than the clocks he worked on in his store. Belle selected one of the clocks and picked up a box containing one, and held it up in front of herself, positive she had chosen something he was going to like. Turning away from the display, she made her way to the counter and joined the queue as she tried to find Ruby with her eyes.

With her purchase in a bag, Belle came out of the store and looked around for Ruby. She scrunched her lips when she spotted Ruby chatting to a guy by a railing, which overlooked onto the floor below. As she rolled her eyes at her friend, Belle wandered over to lean on the railing, a far distance away from her friend, and pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans. A glance down the railing towards Ruby, Belle knew they were going to be late getting back to Storybrooke. She was mulling over handcuffing Ruby to herself, as it looked like every time she left her friend alone, she would find some male company. Belle had only gone to the restroom earlier and came back to find Ruby chatting to a guy, hence why she had been looking at the wedding dress in the store window.

Unlocking her phone, Belle wrote out a message to Rumald, telling him how she wished he were there with her, when Ruby popped up beside her. "Hey, did you get one?"

"Yep." Belle said with a smile and opened the bag so Ruby could nosey inside.

"Cool." Ruby gave the clock a curt nod. "Where to now?"

"I want to pop into one of the video game stores and have a look at the new games that are out for Bae." Belle told her, as she slid her phone into the back pocket of her jeans.

"Ooo… Geek boys!" Ruby cheered clapping her hands together.

Her eyebrow rose at her friend beside her, whilst they started to stroll in the direction of the game store. "Can you not just concentrate on why we're here?"

"You're here for Christmas presents." Ruby pointed to Belle and then to herself. "I'm along for the ride and to give you ideas."

"When are you going to share these ideas then?" Belle asked sidestepping out of somebody's way and she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket.

"I suggested you buy Rumald the karma sutra for Christmas and you laughed at me." Ruby reminded Belle. Shaking her head whilst she smirked, Belle pulled her phone out of her back pocket and smiled seeing Rumald had replied to her message.

"Hey," Ruby touched Belle's arm. "Let's go in here." She looked up from her phone to see Ruby was suggesting that they went in a lingerie store. The idea of going in there did not interest Belle. Her interests on this shopping trip were to get them some main presents for Christmas, so then all she had to do was get a couple of things over the next coming weeks. Not be buying herself kinky underwear.

"Come on!" Ruby encouraged and hooked her arm around Belle's, dragging her friend into the store whether she protested or not. The speed Ruby hauled her into the store, nearly made Belle trip over her own feet as they came through the doorway. A few of the patrons in the store turned their gazes to see them in the doorway, spooked by the commotion coming into the store. Belle's cheeks reddened at the unwelcomed attention. Ruby was not bothered by the looks and tugged Belle over to a selection of underwear.

"Ruby, everyone's looking at us." Belle whispered to her friend, sheepishly glancing over her shoulder to see the odd looks everyone was giving them.

Ruby picked a hanger up with a black lacy bra, decorated with a red ribbon weaving in and out of the lace, with matching panties and garter. "What about this?"

"For what?" Belle asked scrutinising the underwear that was being presented to her.

"Belle," Ruby bent her head to one side, giving her friend a lopsided smile. "Giving him presents isn't the only thing you can give him for Christmas."

Belle pursed her lips and then looked at her friend in disbelief. "Not everything has to revolve around sex, Ruby."

Ruby leaned into Belle. "You're telling me, that if you wore this," Ruby shook the hanger at Belle. "Rumald wouldn't like it."

"I'm not saying that." Belle countered.

"So what are you saying?" Ruby asked and picked another hanger off the wall, a similar design but in dark blue with a light blue ribbon. "What about this one? You always look good in blue."

"Ruby, I don't need to wear anything like that to get Rumald's attention. God sake's, I have enough problems keeping his hands off me, when I'm wearing my sweatpants and hoodie." Belle told Ruby rather heatedly. It was as she was saying 'hoodie' she realised her voice had been slightly higher than she had expected. Peeping over her shoulder, she grimaced at the pointed looks they were receiving.

Ruby stepped away from Belle, holding the hangers for Belle to see them. "Could you imagine it if you were wearing one of these!"

"Yes!" Belle snatched one of the hangers out of Ruby's hand and hung it back on the wall, saying in a hush tone. "I wouldn't be able to walk for a week!"

"Really? Only a week? We'll have to find something raunchier then." Ruby surmised putting the other hanger back onto the wall and wandered off.

"What?" Belle scrunched her forehead at Ruby. "Ruby, no!"

The looks they received did not sit well with Belle, as she traipsed after Ruby to the back of the store. Ruby picked up hangers, inspected them and then would exchange them for another hanger, returning the previous as she did so. Groaning Belle came up behind Ruby and looked over her shoulder, her eyes widened at the cup-less bra and pantie set Ruby was examining.

"No way!" Belle cried reaching round Ruby to take it from and returned it back to the wall.

"Why not?" Ruby questioned, pulling a sulky face at Belle.

Belle pointed to the, questionable, garment. "That isn't me!"

"That's the point!" Ruby took hold of Belle by her shoulders. "He wouldn't expect you to wear something like that!"

"I'm not buying that!" Belle said turning away from Ruby and unlocked her phone to read Rumald's message. Wandering a small distance away from Ruby, she ignored Ruby's babbling and smiled down at the message Rumald had replied to her with.

' _Funny, just thinking about you. Wish I was there too.'_

Belle bit her lower lip, as she replied with _'Hope they weren't good things.'_ She pressed send and slipped the phone back into her back pocket. Her grin slowly left her face, feeling Ruby pressed something to her back. Peering over her shoulder, Belle tried to see what Ruby was doing and was shocked to see Ruby holding different lingerie sets up against her back.

"What're you doing?" Belle asked, whipping round to take a step back away from Ruby's reaching hands.

"I think this one would be perfect!" Ruby declared holding up a light blue lingerie set.

"Ruby, no!" Belle insisted shaking her head at her friend.

"I'm buying it for you!" Ruby spun on the ball of her foot and marched over to the counter, with Belle following closely behind her.

Belle pulled at Ruby's arm, while fending off the strange looks, they were receiving from the other women in the shop, by smiling at them. "Ruby, honestly, don't!"

"Oh, loosen up, Belle." Ruby said handing the hanger over to the cashier.

"Loosen up?" Belle questioned shoving her hands onto her hips.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders at Belle, whilst she handed her credit card over to the cashier. "What's the worse that's going to happen? He'll either like it or he won't."

"What about me!" Belle's voice was louder than she expected and was wary as she added. "What if I don't like it?"

"Trust me." Ruby said smiling at the casher as the woman returned her card. "If he doesn't fuck you senseless, then I don't know men."

Some of the women, who were in ear shot of their conversation, gasped at what Ruby said, while others grinned and nodded their heads. Belle's eyebrows raised up her forehead, shoving her brow up into her hairline, shocked by the women nodding their heads in agreement with Ruby. The smile of triumph Ruby gave Belle, as she took the offered bag from the cashier, was enough for Belle to give up on her protests and followed her friend in disbelief out of the store. She glanced over her shoulder to the women, who were still shopping in the store, and pursed her lips at them.

"Here." Ruby said shoving the bag into Belle's chest, when she had stopped outside the store's doorway.

"Thank you." Belle mumbled and took the offending bag from her friend.

"You said you wanted to go to the game store?" Ruby asked whilst she peered over the top of the shoppers for the nearest video game store. Cynically Belle shook her head at herself as she put the lingerie bag inside the gadget store bag. If she was being forced to carry her unwanted gift, then she was not going to advertise to everyone where they had been shopping and what she could have possibly bought. Ruby was off again, pulling Belle with her as they headed to another store that was not a video game store, as Belle wished she were at home with Rumald.


	69. Chapter 69

Pulling up to the kerb outside the house, Belle sighed her relief of finally being home after her shopping trip with Ruby. Her feet ached from the amount of walking and running she had done around the mall. Dragged from store to store, while Ruby tried to convince her to buy certain items, she thought would liven up their sex life and what things she suggested as presents. Belle opened her car door and sighed as she climbed out, and shut the door behind herself. Stretching her back with her hands placed on her lower back, her eyes went to the house and saw the light was on in Rumald's study. Belle smiled at knowing, she did not have to go far until he would hold her in his arms and she could finally relax.

She waddled to the trunk of the car and opened it to remove her shopping bags and handbag. Looking across to the porch, Belle sighed at the distance, while she reached up and closed the trunk of her car. Each step up towards the house encouraged a groan from Belle. She was so glad she had chosen to wear her sneakers to the mall. However, with the amount of walking they had done around the mall, Belle knew, even with the soft cushioning of her sneakers, they were going to ache.

For a second, Belle struggled to open the front door with the amount of bags she was holding, but managed to push the door handle down and opened it to find Albert on the other side of the door. He smiled and stepped out of her way, while his interest was fixed on the shopping bags. Walking backwards into the front door, Belle used her back to close the door while Albert tried to spy the contents of one of the bags.

"You bought anything for me?" Albert asked with his temptation getting the better of him and reached out to hook one of the bags, so he could see inside of it.

"Ah!" Belle spotted him trying to peek and twisted the bag away from him. "No! Behave!"

Albert titled his head trying to use his height as an advantage and peered down into the bags. "You managed to find something for dad then?"

"Bae, be useful, go and get me a beer while I hide these." She told him dropping her handbag to sit on top of the shoes that lived under the coat hooks. Albert leaned over her again to see into the bag and Belle playfully pushed him back and brushed pass him, holding the bags away from him so he could not see inside of them. His eyes were still trying to see into the bags, as she climbed the stairs and went upstairs.

Belle grinned remembering the magnetic pull to see what gifts people had bought her. Though she had not felt that pull since the Christmas before her mother died. Christmas time with her father was a half-hearted attempt for him to remember to put her first. It never happened. Promises of this Christmas would be different never amounted to anything. Gifts that had been placed under the tree would disappear, replaced by smaller presents or sometimes none would reappear. She did not know what happened to those gifts, but she could guess that her father had pawned them for more money, choosing his own selfish need for drink and gambling over her. His needs were more important than a brief moment of happiness he could have given his daughter.

The smile Albert had given her soon soured with thoughts of her father. Her eyes were becoming teary as she entered the guest bedroom opposite their bedroom and went to the wardrobe. Placing the bags onto the floor, Belle seized a moment to wipe at her eyes and reminded herself she would never know a Christmas like that again. Her own children would never know a Christmas like that either.

With a deep breath in and out, she opened the door to the wardrobe and deposited the bags inside, and closed the door. She locked the wardrobe and removed the small key from the lock, and wandered out of the guest room into their bedroom. The room was dark but Belle knew exactly where she was going and navigated the room to her bedside table. Kneeling down, her hand found the moneybox her mother had bought for her and popped off the rubber bottom to pop the key inside the moneybox. Belle replaced the rubber stopper and placed it back in its home but her hand lingered over it, remembering the day her mother had bought it for her.

They had been looking through a yard sale, when Belle had come across the moneybox sat inside a box of children's toys. The bright colours were what drew her to it. The navy blue and gold had stuck out from the rest of the items in the box. She had dug it out from underneath the Barbie dolls and different childhood knickknacks, and had cradled it inside her hands, mesmerised by the two characters. At the time, she had not known who the characters were, but after that day, she had watched the cartoon and enjoyed it immensely. Belle had routed for them to get together and had rejoiced from where she had sat crossed legged in front of the television, watching as the Beast had returned to his human form. She had also enjoyed it, as she shared the same name as the female character. As her thumb stroked over the head of the Beast, Belle quirked a smirk at the idea of her and Rumald being the real life Beauty and the Beast, and then quickly shook the thought away with a giggle.

Belle scrambled to her feet and kicked her sneakers off, moaning at the relief of freeing her feet. Traipsing out of the bedroom, she met Albert coming down the hallway towards her, with a bottle of beer for her, held in his hand. He reached out and offered the beer to her.

"Can't I have a clue?" Albert asked giving her the grin he had inherited from his father. Except when his father gave it to her, she could never say no, but Albert did not have that power over her.

"Who says I've bought you anything yet?" Belle asked taking the offered beer from him.

Albert frowned at her. "All those bags can't be for dad?"

"There's more than just you and your father I have to buy presents for." Belle chuckled at him and drank from her beer. The tangy taste of the beer was heaven sent as she gulped several mouthfuls, enjoying the refreshing taste.

"Yeah," Albert smirked at her and pointed to himself. "But I'm the most important."

Belle huffed her amusement through her nose and wiped a hand over her mouth, before she asked. "Don't you have things to kill? Galaxies to save?"

"I can't win with you guys. I got dad telling me to take a break from it and you're suggesting I go and play on my game." Albert said shaking his head at her, whilst he turned and went to his bedroom. Shrugging her shoulders Belle pivoted round and padded down the hallway in her socks to Rumald's study. The door was a jar, pouring a thin beam of light out of his study into the hallway.

As she got closer to the door, she could hear Rumald was talking to someone inside his study. Scrunching her brow Belle peered in through the gap and tried to spy if anyone was in the room with him. She was positive he had not mentioned that anyone was coming to the house. If he had, she definitely would have remembered, as he had so far never invited anyone around the house. The only person from Rumald's life outside of the house, who came round to the house, was Dove and even then he would refuse to step a foot into the house, unless he really had to or had been invited into the house by Rumald.

Laying her hand gently onto the wooden door, Belle slowly edged the door open and gazed around the edge of it. There was nobody in the study with Rumald. In thought, she pouted her lips and stepped into the room, leaving the door open as she entered his study. His bare feet were up on his desk, crossed at the ankle, whilst he inclined himself backwards into the leather desk chair.

"Well, you'll just have to find someone to fill his space." Rumald said, as he scratched at the stubble on his cheek.

The sound of his nails dragging across the harsh hairs of his cheek made her bite her lip, holding herself back from jumping over his desk to run her own nails down his stubble. She had never liked Gaston to have stubble and disliked how it would scratch her upper lip and her chin. Her explanation as to why she liked Rumald's stubble still eluded her, other than to coin something he had said to her once: he was her exception to the rule. The feel of his stubble against her skin made her toes curl, even the thought of it on her skin made her toes scrunch up tightly.

Rumald's chair creaked as he shifted in his chair. "I'm not coming over unless it's going to be worth my trouble. I'm not playing for pocket change again."

Belle drank from her beer and ran her fingers along the edge of his desk, wandering by his desk in the direction of the window seat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rumald's eyes look up at her, whilst he placed his free hand behind his head and held his phone to his left ear. Craftily she titled her head enough to meet his gaze and smiled suggestively at him. His brow pressed down over his eyes, trying to decipher her look, whilst Belle quickly took the last couple of steps to the window seat and sat down on it. She lifted her legs up to lay them the length of the seat and rested her beer down into her lap, while she looked out of the window onto the street below.

"Jeff," Rumald dropped his feet from his desk and leant forward onto his desk. "I'm not playing with kids. Get some proper players, or I won't play. It's that simple, dearie."

Taking another swig from her beer, she let her eyes wander round into the room to watch Rumald, as he rolled his eyes at whatever Jefferson Hatter was telling him. Inside Belle did not like that Rumald gambled. Not because he lost, or that he could not afford to gamble. Just because gambling had played such a large part in the troubles she had experienced as a child. Belle knew it was not the gambling itself that had caused her heartache. But it had not helped the situation.

As Rumald spoke to Jefferson, he rested his forehead down into the palm of his hand. "Jeff, if you can't get anyone to play for a buy in of a grand, then I'm not interested."

She turned her face away from the conversation, not wanting to hear the gory details of their game. Images of her father being invited to those games came into her mind. Belle closed her eyes refusing any tears the chance to escape, as she felt herself get emotional, remembering the times her father had pillaged her moneybox for any dollars she had been saving. The need to meet the buy in for the poker games had been so important to him. Even when it meant she had to go without any lunch for school, or that the cupboards would be bare, or he missed the rent.

The memory of debt collectors came to the forefront of her mind. The anger of having to stand to one side and let them take her things still sat heavy with Belle. She had wished so many times that she could go back and tell herself to fight for her things, refuse to let them take things that had belonged to her mother.

"Okay, Jeff." Rumald said standing up from his desk chair. "If you can fill the table, then fine. I'll play next Saturday night."

Belle drew her legs up to her chest and hugged her arms around her legs, needing some comfort, as she rested her head against the wall behind her. The rawness of her pain staggered her. When she had lived with her father, it had been a simple annoyance and sadly, a way of life. Now that she had seen the control Rumald had over his gambling, it squeezed at the raw nerve her father had chafed at over the years.

"Hey," His hand gently laid onto her knee and slid down her thigh, as Rumald sat down onto the window seat in front of her feet. "How was your shopping trip with Ruby?"

She smiled at him over the top of her knees. "Not too bad. Ruby was… Full of ideas."

"Hopefully helpful ideas." Rumald commented, smoothing his hand back up her thigh to her knee.

"Some." Belle said watching his hand come to a stop at her knee.

"Just hide them well. Albert can't help himself." He told her, bringing his other hand up to rest onto her other knee, his eyes on his hands.

"He already tried to see what I bought when I came in." She informed him, raising an eyebrow, as his hands slid down her jeans and explored the curve of her thighs, and travelled back up the knees.

Rumald angled his head to one side, watching the path of one of his hands, whilst he slid his hands round to the back of her legs and glided them down to faintly touch her backside. "I don't bother bringing Christmas gifts home. Not since he found them one year and told Gladius what I'd bought her."

"Well… I've locked mine… away." Belle managed to tell him, fighting the urge to moan when his fingertips pressed into her jeans, trailing up the back of her thighs to her knees.

"Hmm…" He hummed sliding his hands down the sides of her thighs, his eyes fixed on the path of his hands. "Very wise of you."

Her fingers clutched at her bottle of beer, loving the pressure of his fingertips as they raked up her thighs. "Did you do much today?"

"Let's see," He dawdled as he leant forward pressing his chest against her knees, and allowed himself to slide his hands further down her thighs. "I…" Rumald pushed his hands down her legs to her hip. "Cleared up the leaves in the back garden." He paused, distracted as he watched his hands trace around the curve of her backside to lap back up her thigh. "I fixed some things around the house before I came up here and went through some paperwork for the shop."

"Sounds…" Belle sucked in a breath through her teeth, biting down onto her lower lip, when his fingers glided along the inside of her thighs and trailed against the seam of her jeans between her legs. "Productive."

"Not really." Rumald pouted his lower lip at her, his gaze watching his hand travel up her left leg and carried on pass her knee, skimming down over the back of her calf muscle to clasp his hand around her socked ankle.

"No?" She questioned whilst Rumald lifted her leg and scooted closer to her, his hip bumped into the back of her thighs, and carefully laid her leg over his lap.

"No." He replied to her, whilst he pressed his left hand down onto the window seat beside her hip, supporting his weight as he leaned into her.

The intent in his eyes held her gaze, as she asked. "What would you call it then?"

"Trying to distract myself from the fact you weren't here." He crooned taking her bottle of beer from her hands and held it in his hand, aligning himself forward into her.

"Miss me, did you?" She asked with a smirk, whilst she put her arms around him, lacing her fingers at the back of his neck.

"Dearie," Rumald said quietly with his gaze focus on her lips. "The word 'miss' doesn't even come close to describing what I felt."

Their faces were close enough that she could feel his warm breath mixed with her own. She would only need to lean forward slightly for their lips to meet. The closeness of their faces excited her. Not knowing whether he was going to kiss her or not left her breathless, wanting so much to feel his soft pliable lips against her own. Her eyes darted down to his lips, where she was further aroused by the light sheen of stubble she saw surrounding his lips. The idea of his sharp stubble scratching her silky skin thrilled her so much she could feel herself moisten.

"Did you not miss me?" He asked slanting his head to one side, lazily trailing his gaze over her face, inspecting her as if he had not seen her in a long time.

Belle tugged on her arms and caused Rumald to lurch forward towards her. "Course I missed you!"

His grin rendered her helpless to him and he knew it, as his face came closer to her and his lips brushed over hers. "I'm not sure you did, Miss French."

"What?" She asked taken aback by his statement, pressing her eyebrows down over her eyes.

"You've been gone all day and only messaged me twice." He told her bringing the bottle of beer between them and trailed the lip of bottle down her lips, parting her lips when her lower lip was stuck for a moment to the glass of the bottle.

"And you only messaged me once." She retorted, feeling her heart trying to pound its way out of her chest.

Rumald smirked, whilst his eyes followed the path of the bottle as he traced it down her jawline. "That's called restraint."

"Really, dearie?" Belle grinned at him, when his eyes shot up to meet her own.

"Really, dearie." He repeated his phrase to her and brought the beer to his lips to swig from the bottle.

As Rumald closed the gap between them, bringing their lips together, Belle closed her eyes and greedily met his kiss, threading her fingers into his short grey hair. Whilst they kissed, she felt his weight shift and then his hand gently kneaded her breast through the thin jumper she was wearing. The gentle squeeze of her breast and Rumald shifting closer to her, bumping his hip into her moisten core, caused Belle to open her mouth and moan.

His hand left her breast and clasped the underside of her chin, holding her head steady, while he clamped his lips over her mouth. The sudden flow of beer into her mouth caused her to gag at the unexpected beer gushing into her mouth. Relaxing and swallowing some of the beer, she dipped her beer sodden tongue into Rumald's mouth, fondling her tongue with his. She swallowed the last of the beer in her mouth and leant forward from the wall she was leant against, straightening herself against Rumald.

"Hey, can we order… Never mind. I'll just order pizza." Albert said from the doorway of Rumald's study. Breathless the pair unlatched themselves from each other and looked to the doorway to see Albert retreating down the hallway. Belle shook her head and leaned her head against Rumald's cheek.


	70. Chapter 70

Belle sat at the circulation desk in the town's library and drank from her tea as she read from the book laid out on the desk in front of her. She was enjoying the peace and quiet due to a lot of people had taken the week off and had left Storybrooke to visit their families in other states. With many of the students, she tutored, and with Janice out of town, left Belle with an excuse to remain in the town's library. There were a few residents using the library, hidden away in the dark corners, comforted by the company of the book they were reading. She was jealous of the patrons of the library as they could indulge themselves with the books of the library. While the chance to just sit and read Belle found alluded her. Her attention was normally torn between tutoring, managing the libraries and her happy home life. She made the most of the moments she had to be alone and read, as she did sat at the circulation desk.

The library's phone disrupted the tranquil silence of the library. The sudden shrill of the phone caused Belle to jump on her stool and press her hand to her chest, forcing her heart back into her chest. She glared at the phone as it shrilled again at her. Snatching it out of its cradle, Belle breathed heavily before she put the phone to her ear.

"Good morning, Storybrooke library." She greeted, whilst she laid her bookmark across the page of her book, underlining the line she had gotten to.

"Miss French," Belle's eyebrows knitted together at the voice, unfamiliar with it. "It's Mayor Mills."

"Oh… Hi." Belle relaxed her brow and waited for the Mayor to continue.

"I require you to attend the council meeting this afternoon. It'll be at one o'clock sharp." Mayor Mills told her. "We'll be discussing the budget for the libraries and we'll require information on resident's usage of the library."

Belle squinted her eyes with her gaze going to the computer system beside her. "For the whole year?"

"Yes, Miss French." Mayor Mills replied.

"Shouldn't be a problem. I'll get the information together and be at the meeting at one." She told the Mayor, as she turned on the stool to the computer and began to print out the necessary information required for the meeting.

"Good." Mayor Mills said hastily before the line went dead. Taking the phone away from her ear, Belle gave it a scathing look and then returned the phone to its cradle. As she was printing out the figures, Belle noticed she had an hour to get everything together and grab some lunch on her way to the town hall… Or grab a ride with Rumald to the town hall. A grin swept over her face, remembering he was on the town council.

Leaving the printer to finish printing, Belle quickly wandered around the library checking all the nooks and crannies, telling everyone the library would be closing for a couple of hours. A couple of them groaned when she told them, making it clear to Belle their grievance of being told to leave the library. She had grimaced a smile at them, knowing exactly how they felt about it. All she wanted to do was read her book and wait for the clock to strike five o'clock, so she could go home with Rumald. Very convenient having your fiancé work across the street from you, especially as she could doze in the car on the way to work in the morning.

The last of the patrons left the library. Collecting the printouts together, Belle checked the time on the computer and cursed herself as she had lost half an hour. She stapled the relevant printouts together, wisely making several copies of the figures, while her eyes flicked between the printouts and the clock on her computer screen. Another minute ticked by… And then another.

Hurriedly Belle stacked the pile ready to go and darted into her office, snatching her coat and bag from one of the chairs in front of her desk. She awkwardly fed her arm into one of the sleeves of her coat, hitting herself with her bag, while she quickened her step to go back to the circulation desk. Another glance at the computer screen and she had managed to lose three minutes this time. Belle groaned straightening her coat, yanking her coat close to button it whilst she watched the clock on the computer screen mark another minute had gone by.

"God." Belle muttered under her breath as she dug her keys out of her bag and then shoved the printouts into her bag. Racing to the door when she saw it was twenty to one, she prayed Rumald was still at his shop and yanked open the library door, bursting out onto the sidewalk to check his Cadillac was still at the shop. She breathed out a sigh of relief, seeing his car was still there and slid her key into the lock of the door to swiftly lock it.

Her heels scraped on the tarmac of the street, jogging as best as she could in heels to the door of his shop. The sign on his shop door took the energy out of her legs and she came to abrupt stop at the kerb, frowning at the sign displaying closed. A small amount of hope pushed her forward to the door. She peered in through as best as she could, her view blocked partly by the blinds on the other side of the window. Pushing down on the door handle did not free the door from its constraint. In disbelief and hope, she tried the door handle again and in defeat gazed up at the sky above her. Belle cursed silently to herself and banged against the door.

"Rumald!" She shouted and banged on the wood of the door, rattling it inside the doorframe. "Rumald!"

Nothing.

"Shit!" Belle cursed and kicked at the bottom of his shop door. Huffing her annoyance, she spun round and ran in the direction of Grannies until she got to the street corner, and turned right to dash to the town hall. It was not far, but running in her heels may not have been Belle's best idea. Her ankles protested at the energetic activity. The last time she had done any running, was when she went to intervene in the argument between her father and Rumald, which she had done in flat shoes. The pain in her ankles was just becoming unbearable, when the town hall came into view, towering over the side street stores.

Skipping around the corner of the pavement, brushing her leg against the bushes, Belle tried to steady her breathing as she rushed to the main door of the town hall. Her eyes widened when she saw the door was slowly closing and darted to the door, catching it before it fully closed to her. She yanked open the door and hurried inside to be confronted by Sidney Glass, hugging a stack of files to his chest.

"Miss French." Sydney greeted, bowing his head to her.

"Hey," Belle said breathless. "Has the meeting started yet?"

"I believe they're just going inside." Sydney said in reply to her question.

Belle snapped her head to look either way down the hallway and then looked up at the staircase in front of her. "Do you know where the meeting is being held?"

"Yeah," He awkwardly pointed towards the stairs. "It's up the stairs, turn right and it's the first double doors on your right." Sidney informed her, watching her ascend the stairs, her heels clicking and clacking as she hurried to climb them. At the top of the stairs, Belle looked either way down the hallway, even though she was already heading down the right hallway. She watched as a man and a woman entered a room further down the hallway. Quickening her step, she got to the open doorway and stopped to take a deep breath.

"Belle!" Belle gazed through the doorway to spot Gladius coming towards her. The friendly face was a welcomed sight. Huffing Belle moved through the doorway to meet Gladius with open arms and kissed the older woman on the cheek as Gladius hugged her. She held onto Gladius a little longer than was required, enjoying the friendly company, but taking a moment to calm herself.

"I didn't realise you were going to be here." Gladius said to Belle, leaning away from Belle.

"Neither did I until Mayor Mills rung me an hour ago." Belle informed her, whilst her gaze went around the faces in the room, trying to find Rumald. "Where's Rumald?"

"Oh, I don't know. I haven't seen him yet." Gladius said joining Belle in looking around the room for Rumald, in case she had missed him when she had entered.

When her eyes came back to Gladius, Belle gave the other woman a questioning look. "I didn't realise you were on the council."

"I'm not." Gladius beamed, giving Belle a cheeky smile. "But money talks, so I get to sit in on the meetings."

"Ah right… Is Rumald normally late?" Belle asked just as Mayor Mills banged her gavel down, signalling the meeting was about to start.

Taking hold of Belle's arm, Gladius guided Belle to the front row of the benches and directed Belle to sit down beside her. They settled onto the bench together, smiling at each other as they removed their coats and folded them to place onto the bench beside Gladius. Belle opened her bag and pulled out the printouts she had done.

"Whoa, there Sidney!" Belle twisted round to see Rumald squeeze through the gap in the door. She smiled observing Rumald, as he shared a glare with Sidney, who was closing the door to the hall. Rumald tugged the sleeve of his overcoat and pulled his arm out of his coat, as he slowly shook his head at Sidney.

"You would think with all the clocks in your shop, you would know what time it was." Sidney commented to Rumald as he closed the door.

Rumald pulled a smile at Sidney whilst he shook his overcoat by the collar and folded it over his arm. "Some of us have more important things to do than tell tales on people that live in this town."

"Funny," Sidney titled his head in thought before he pointed at Rumald. "People were very interested in the story about you throwing that mother and child onto the streets."

"Yes, and you forgot to mention in your story, how I gave her a month's grace on her rent and lined her up with a job." Rumald seethed, leaning forward into Sidney's personal space.

Taking a step back from Rumald, Sidney's brow scrunched up at Rumald. "Wouldn't have helped the direction of my story."

"Right, I forgot." Rumald began to walk backwards away from Sidney. "It's all about the sales, not the truth."

"Was it not the truth? Did you not kick her and her child out of the house?" Sidney asked Rumald, trailing after Rumald.

Rumald's back was to Belle and Gladius, when he stopped and pointed his finger at Sidney. "I'll tell you what, Sidney, come by the shop and we'll discuss the actual truth in length, if you like?"

"Mr Gold," Mayor Mills called, causing both men to look to her. "We have important matters to discuss, if you don't mind."

"I'm sure we do, dearie. Like what shade of yellow, shall we paint the fire hydrants next year." Rumald waved his hand dramatically through the air, whilst he strolled through the swinging gates to join the other council members.

The look of annoyance on Mayor Mills face made Belle giggle into her hand. The other members remained quiet and took their seats, avoiding eye contact with either Mayor Mills or Rumald. The two were exchanging a look over the table. Rumald was unaffected by the woman's pointed look and draped his overcoat over the back of the empty chair he had claimed for himself. Sucking in her lower lip, Belle tried to control herself, refusing to laugh at them, as Rumald unbuttoned his suit jacket and slipped between his chair and the table, taking his seat at the table.

It surprised Belle that Rumald had not noticed her yet, whilst he tugged down his waistcoat under his suit jacket and gazed at everyone around the table. Maybe because he did not expect to see her there, it blinded him. Belle titled her head to one side as she appreciated him, smirking at how handsome he looked across the room. It was rare for her to see the business side of Rumald.

"Thank you all for attending today." Mayor Mills said to the table. "It's nice to see us all here this month."

"We were all here last month." Rumald interjected.

Major Mills's head turned in Rumald's direction to give him a stare, as she said. "The first thing on the agenda is the new housing development off Sealand View as discussed at the last meeting."

"The beach house development?" Doctor Hopper clarified, flicking through the file Sydney was giving out to everyone.

Sheriff Graham leant forward onto the table. "I thought we voted against it in the last meeting."

"Going through the figures of what the development would cost and the revenue the town could made from it, it seems stupid to not discuss it again." Mayor Mills said smiling at the Sheriff.

"What she means is," Rumald was looking through the file. "The contractor has come to her and said, pretty please."

"Are you insinuating I've been bribe, Mr Gold?" Mayor Mills questioned pointing the question at him.

Rumald chuckled and sat back in his chair, closing the file in front of him. "I'm not insinuating anything of the sort, dearie. I didn't say they'd paid you off. I simply said they'd asked you to bring it up at the meeting again." He pointed his finger at Mayor Mills. "You're the one saying I meant you were bribed."

"Can we concentrate on the matter at hand?" Doctor Hopper inquired, his gaze split between Mayor Mills and Rumald. The unamused look the Mayor gave Rumald amused Belle, especially when she saw the grin he was giving Mayor Mills.

"If I remember from the last meeting, I said it was pointless to build these beach houses due to the price tags on these houses." Rumald held up one of the pieces of paper from the file. "No one in Storybrooke apart from myself, Mrs Johnson, Mr Spencer and possibly yourself, Mayor Mills, could ever afford one of these houses."

"The purpose of these properties has been re-classified from residential to tourist accommodation." Mayor Mills held up the same piece of paper as Rumald and pointed to the section she was referring to, giving Rumald a knowing smirk.

"And who's going to be managing them?" Marco asked finally looking up from the file to join the discussion.

Mayor Mills smiled as she turned her gaze to look at Marco. "Miller and Co will be managing the properties and advertising them."

Belle raised an eyebrow and moved her gaze, along with everyone else, to Rumald at the other end of the table, who was laughing to himself. He selected the piece of paper with the information for the beach houses on it and slid it across the table into the middle, with everyone watching him shaking his head.

"Miller and Co is your mother's company. I'm not voting yes on that, dearie. No way." Rumald stated to the council, resting his arms down onto the table.

"It might be my mother's company, but I don't have anything to do with it." Mayor Mills told them, shoving the piece of paper back across the table to Rumald.

Rumald slammed his hand down on top of the piece of paper, pinning it to the surface of the table. "I've voted, dearie. No." And shoved the piece of paper back across the table.

"I have to agree with Mr Gold," Marco said as he turned the piece of paper over, laying it face down onto the table to disregard it. "We don't have enough tourist trade to call for more accommodation."

"Marco, did you read the projected figures?" Mayor Mills asked him, turning her body to face him.

Before Marco could answer, Doctor Hopper followed Marco's action, turning the piece of paper face down. "I have to agree as well. The figures that have been projected does not call for more accommodation. I would be happier, if we already met those figures, then I'd see the benefits of needing more accommodation."

"I'm more inclined to ask, what tourists?" Sheriff Graham said flipping the piece of paper over.

"You're all voting 'no' and I haven't even put it up to the vote yet." Mayor Mills sat flabbergasted with the four of them, her eyes gazing round at each of them in turn.

"Come on," Rumald encouraged checking his phone. "Some of us have busy schedules. What's next on the agenda?"

Belle leaned into Gladius, asking. "Is it always like this?"

"Oh, no, dear." Gladius whispered to Belle. "Sometimes they have a little tea party and play dress up." Belle smiled at Gladius humour.

"Fine," Mayor Mills stated and turned over a piece of paper. "The library budget."

At hearing the library being mentioned, Belle sat up straighter and swallowed nervously. Her nerves kicked in as the council members turned to the corresponding page in the file and read over it. They were silent whilst they read through it. Some of them muttered under their breaths.

Belle's gaze was on Rumald as he scanned over the agenda for the library, scratching at his hairline behind his ear. The council meeting lulled away, while Belle daydreamed about running her fingers through his hair as she had done that morning. She had woken to their alarm and found Rumald was already awake and had been watching her sleep. As they had talked about what they had to do that day, Belle had stroked her fingers through his short greying hair, enjoying the softness of his hair between her fingers.

"Miss French," Mayor Mills called, jerking Belle's attention to her and the council's attention round to Belle. "Do you have the figures I requested?"

"Yes, Mayor Mills." Belle said and braced a smile, holding the information up for the Mayor to see.

Mayor Mills's eyebrows rose up her forehead at Belle. "Can we have them?"

"Oh, yeah… Sorry." She excused herself and stood up from the bench. As she pushed one of the swinging gates open and stepped through, Rumald's eyes finally met with her own. His brow lifted from over his eyes and slowly a smile graced his lips, allowing the softer side of Rumald to show through. Her Rumald, she thought with a smile.

Belle handed out the papers to everyone and left Rumald until last, taking her time as she stood beside him and leaned forward to place the information in front of him. They were lost for a moment in each other's eyes, smiling like a pair of lovesick teenagers. Straightening her back, Belle remained close to Rumald's side, watching over the council as they digested the new information she had presented to them. Her lips tightened into a straight line, unsure of their reaction.

When she felt something trail up the back of her calf, Belle jumped and looked down to see Rumald running his fingers up the back of her leg. He leant forward to the table and read her printouts. He showed no outward sign of what he was doing, as he lifted the page to read the one behind it. She smiled shifting closer to him, pleased when she felt his fingers trail back down her leg.

"Are these figures up to date?" Mayor Mills asked gesturing towards the printout Belle had handed out.

"Yes." Belle answered with a shiver running up her spine from Rumald's torturous musings on the back of her calf.

"This shows the library's usage has near enough doubled since you took over managing it." Mayor Mills looked down at the page, rereading the figures.

Rumald angled his head to see Mayor Mills from where he leant over the table. "You sound surprised, dearie?"

Mayor Mills scowled at Rumald. "I am, as I don't understand what Miss French is doing different to the previous head librarian."

"Maybe," Rumald dawdled sitting back into his seat. "It's because she's more in touch with what the residents of Storybrooke need."

"Mr Gold, I'm shocked. Are you defending Miss French?" Mayor Mills asked with a wicked smile on her face.

Rumald shook his head. "I don't need to defend, Miss French. I just know from her work in the library and the work she does with the kids at the school, that her accomplishments speak for themselves."

"I have to say, I've been using the library a lot more since Miss French took over managing it." Marco said from the other side of the table. "I really enjoyed the crime book night she held the other month."

"I'm glad." Belle smiled her appreciation at Marco, who returned her friendly smile.

Doctor Hopper cleared his throat and said. "I attended the Midsummer Night evening and loved it."

"I had never stepped foot in the library until Miss French held the crime book night." Sheriff Graham informed them, reading over the second page in Belle's printouts.

"How come I've never heard of these events?" Mayor Mills asked, gazing at Belle.

Belle was about to answer, when Sydney intervened. "They're normally advertised in the Storybrooke Mail and flyers are put up around town."

"Really?" Mayor Mills asked Sydney, twisting herself to see him where he sat behind her.

"Yeah," Sydney nodded his head as he spoke. "Every event she's ever done has been advertised all over town. Surprised you've never seen one."

"As I said, her efforts speak for themselves." Rumald told the council.

The frown on Mayor Mills's forehead was deep when she looked at Belle, as she said. "Either way, I don't think the library needs the same amount of budget as it had this year. We need to use those funds elsewhere."

"I'm sorry, but where else do we need to spend the funds?" Doctor Hopper asked, looking at the Mayor over the top of his glasses.

"The sheriff's office for instance," Mayor Mills gestured to Sheriff Graham, who jerked up from reading Belle's printout. "It's in need of modernisation."

Sheriff Graham scrunched his brow at Mayor Mills reasoning. "That's news to me. And even if it did, I would rather we get the funds from somewhere else. The library is an important part of the community."

"If anything, we should give the library more funds, so Miss French can continue her work between the school and the library." Rumald stated to the council, while his thumb stroked over the sensitive skin at the back of her knee.

"Well that's the next point of topic. Miss French is sharing her time, between the library and tutoring students at the school, but does the tutoring she do really call for more money to the budget? Could her time be useful elsewhere?" Mayor Mills put to the council.

Belle felt unsettled at hearing their discussion. The last five months had gone by so fast and so much had happened that she had forgotten her job was still up in the air. Rumald and Gladius were the only reason Principal Mills and Mary-Margaret had been able to employ her. Troubled by their conversation, she bit down onto her lower lip as she stood silently listening with Rumald secretly comforting her by stroking his fingers up the back of her leg.

Marco pulled a face and glanced over the figures again, as he said. "I think from these printouts, it proves Miss French is doing a wonderful job. I didn't realise she was tutoring at the school as well. If she's able to get the library usage up and tutor at the same time, then I think she deserves the budget." He let go of the front page of the printout and sat back into his chair. "I vote yes."

"Marco, I haven't put it to the vote yet." Mayor Mills told him, indulging him with a soft smile.

"Does it matter? I vote yes." Marco insisted, clasping his hands into his lap.

Mayor Mills was about to say something to Marco, when Sheriff Graham said. "I vote yes."

"What?" Mayor Mills's eyebrows shot up at Sheriff Graham.

"What about you Doctor Hopper?" Rumald inquired across the table, making Belle look down at Rumald and then over expectantly at Doctor Hopper, who was reading the figures.

"Mr Gold, if anyone is going to direct a vote, then it should be me." Mayor Mills stated to him, glaring at him.

Rumald scrunched his forehead at her. "You need to make your mind up, dearie. You just told Marco, you hadn't put it to the vote. I'm asking Doctor Hopper his opinion."

"In my opinion," Doctor Hopper interjected before Mayor Mills could say anything else to Rumald. "From working with some of the students at the school and seeing these figures, my vote is yes."

"What's your work at the school got to do with the vote?" Mayor Mills asked, shifting her gaze from Rumald to Doctor Hopper.

"The student body think very highly of Miss French. I counsel some of the students that Miss French tutors and her work with them has had a profound impact on them. It would be stupid of me to put a stop to the good work she is doing." Doctor Hopper informed the council, whilst smiling kindly at Belle.

Slowly breathing out, Belle looked down at the table in front of her and supported her weight down onto it, holding onto the edge of the table. Her fate was in their hands and it overwhelmed her that they could see the hard work she had been putting in at the library and at the school. Doctor Hopper's comment touched her. Touched her more than any of the other comments. To hear the students were responding to her filled her with joy.

Mayor Mills dropped her hands down onto the table and turned her gaze to Rumald. "I take it you're voting yes as well?"

"My vote was always going to be yes." Rumald revealed with a grin.

"Really? Storybrooke's ruthless businessman, would vote yes? There's no profit for you to make out of this and I really can't see you doing this unless you got something out of it." Mayor Mills put to him, angling herself in her seat to face him.

"Miss French tutored my son for a time… Although, you could say, she still does." Rumald said with his eyes lifting to meet Belle's.

The confused look on the Mayor's face would have normally made Belle giggle, but the moment quickly passed when Mayor Mills said. "Either way, I'm removing this topic from the vote. I think we need more information before we can vote soundly on the topic."

"What!" Rumald questioned, shooting forward in his seat to brace himself over the table, slamming his hands down onto the table.

"Mayor Mills, we have given you a four to one vote." Doctor Hopper insisted stabbing his finger down onto the table.

"You can't remove it from the vote, because you don't agree with the outcome!" Rumald's voice grew darker as he spoke, seething by the end of it. Without thinking, Belle rested her hand down onto his shoulder. The Mayor did a double take on Belle's hand being on Rumald's shoulder, and bounced her gaze between Belle's and Rumald's faces. Slowly the corners of the Mayor's face twitched up into an evil grin, as she settled back against her chair and pointed her finger at Rumald.

"I heard through the grapevine that you'd gotten engaged, but I thought it was gossip." Mayor Mills commented and chuckled. "You should have removed yourself from the vote. You're bias."

Rumald lulled his head to one side and smiled at Mayor Mills. "Like you removed yourself from voting on your mother's topic?"

"I never got a chance to put it to the vote. You all voted before I called a vote on the subject." Mayor Mills gestured to everyone around the table.

"And you haven't called a vote on this matter either, dearie." Rumald grinned. "You asked me whether I would yes and I answered."

Mayor Mills looked disgusted with Rumald. "You're a snivelling weasel, Mr Gold."

"Call me what you like, dearie, doesn't change the fact I'm right." Rumald said sitting back into his chair.

"Can we get back to the topic of the vote?" Doctor Hopper asked, dividing his attention between Mayor Mills and Rumald.

Marco shook his head from side to side. "Always bickering."

"Whether I vote or not, the vote is in favour of the library getting the budget." Rumald waved his hands in front of himself, cheerfully smiling at Mayor Mills.

"Fine." Mayor Mills conceded. "The library's budget will be increased."

"Do we have any more topics for today? I've got to drive out to see Herbert at Storybrooke farm." Sheriff Graham inquired, whilst checking the time on his wrist.

Mayor Mills turned the next page in the file that Sidney had handed out earlier. "We have the Thanksgiving parade to discuss."

"We do the same thing every year." Marco said, pulling a face at the topic. "What could there be to possibly discuss?"

"If the four of you don't want to be here, then you can resign from the council." Mayor Mills told them, collapsing back into her chair in defeat.

"That is not the attitude to take, Mayor Mills." Doctor Hopper told her, gazing at her over the top of his glasses, pausing from looking over the Thanksgiving parade page.

"I vote yes to whatever it is." Sheriff Graham said standing up from his chair. "I've got to go. I said I would be there at half two." And left the room.

Rumald pushed his chair back and moved to stand behind it, reclaiming his overcoat from over the back of it. "I vote yes too."

"You're not even stopping for the vote?" Mayor Mills questioned him, gobsmacked.

"Dearie, I don't care about some parade." He answered yanking at the lapels of his overcoat and pulled at the ends of his sleeves. Rumald smiled kindly at Belle and gestured for her to take the lead in front of him, as they left the table. She held one of the swinging gates open for Rumald and waited for him to come through the gateway with her before she let it swing shut. His hands held onto her hips, standing closely behind her, as they came to stand in front of Gladius.

"Did you enjoy that?" Gladius asked, pining her gaze on Rumald.

"I don't know what you mean, Gladius." Rumald grinned.

Gladius was shaking her head, whilst she handed Belle her coat. "You couldn't just sit there and behave yourself?"

"I thought I was quite restraint compared to the last meeting." He said pondering over it, as Belle stepped to one side to put on her coat.

"I don't think I want to know." Belle said, flicking her hair out from underneath her coat.

"Rumald, here," Gladius hooked her thumb in the direction of Rumald, while she stood up from the bench. "Drove the Mayor to abandon the meeting last month, because he kept arguing every topic and then voted the opposite to whatever side he had been arguing. Such as, they were discussing a new town sign. This one" She nodded her head at Rumald, who stood proudly beside Gladius. "Said no, we don't need a new sign, waste of money. Then when they voted, he voted yes."

Rumald shrugged his shoulders. "They convinced me."

"No, you were winding her up." Gladius slyly gestured in the direction of the Mayor, while Belle smiled at Rumald.

"She shouldn't make it so easy." Rumald whispered to Gladius. The look shared between Gladius and Rumald encouraged Belle to giggle into the palm of her hand. Handing Belle her bag and collecting her own coat from the bench, Gladius led the way out of the room with Belle and Rumald following behind her. Rumald's hand found Belle's hand and clasped it tightly, keeping her close as they left the town hall.


	71. Chapter 71

Tidying up some books on a shelf, Belle rolled her eyes when she distantly heard her phone ringing from the front desk of the library. Quickly she grabbed the last book from the trolley and shoved it onto the shelf before she ran in her heels to the front desk. She leaned over the counter and grabbed her phone, flicking her thumb over the screen in time to answer it. Struggling, Belle managed to get the phone to her ear and breathed out her relief at answering it in time.

"Hey." Belle greeted, holding onto the counter.

"Hey, sweetheart." Rumald replied. "It's ten past five. Are you coming or are you too busy losing yourself in a book?"

She smirked at his playful jibe. "I'm coming. I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay." Rumald muttered down the phone. Belle could hear he was smiling before he ended the call.

With her phone in hand, Belle hastily walked around the circulation desk and went into her office. She slung on her coat on and snatched her bag from the chair she had left it. Even though she knew no one else was in the library, habits were hard to fight as she glanced round the library, making sure no one had snuck in whilst she had been musing about the library, tidying and re-shelving the returned books. Happy that everything was where it should be, Belle turned off the main lights in the library, dropping the library into darkness.

When she pushed open the library door, a cold breeze blew in through the open doorway and made her shiver as she stepped outside. Pulling her lips into a straight line, Belle grumbled to herself about her hatred of that time of year. The day felt so short. It was already so dark. She pulled a face at the evening sky and turned to lock the library for the second time that day. All she wanted to do was go home, change into her hoodie and sweatpants and curl up with Rumald on the couch, while they watched television or a film together.

She dropped her keys into her bag as she began sauntering to the intersection and crossed the street to head to Rumald's shop. It was the only shop with its lights still on. Opening the door to his shop, the bell above the door jangled, announcing her entrance like it did every evening. Belle halted in the doorway when she saw Rumald and Albert stood talking by the counter. With the cold sweeping up the back of her legs, she closed the door smiling at them as they turned their attention to her, forgetting their conversation.

"'Bout time!" Albert exclaimed waving his hand in Belle's direction.

"Bae, shut up." Rumald reached over the glass counter, which separated him from his son, and tapped Albert on the back of his head.

Albert bent his head forward and held his hand up, guarding himself from another slap from his father, when he said. "What? I'm hungry!"

"You're always hungry!" Rumald commented, rolling his eyes at his son.

"I'm sorry." Belle apologised, while she snorted back her chuckle, and ambled further into the shop. "I forgot what time it was. If I'd known, I'd have come sooner."

Rumald started to walk towards the end of the counter to come round to join them, as he said. "Don't worry about him, sweetheart." He scooped her free hand up into his and squeezed her fingers. "I thought we could go out and celebrate."

"Celebrate?" Belle's eyes widened at his suggestion and glanced at Albert beside her.

"Celebrate you getting more funding for the library." Rumald smiled and stroked the back of his fingers down her cheek.

His smile was infectious and Belle found herself mirroring his smile, shaking her head as she said. "Rumald, that's sweet but we don't need to celebrate. I wouldn't have gotten the job in the first place, if you and Gladius hadn't donated the money."

He stepped in closer to her, her coat brushed up the front of his suit jacket, while his hands cupped her face. "We may have got you the job, but you're the one who's put all the work in and proven yourself. Gladius and I didn't do that, sweetheart, you did."

"Can we go and eat, please?" Albert asked, slanting himself against the glass counter as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Okay, Bae." Rumald sighed with his hands dropping from Belle's face. "Go and get a table at Grannies, while I lock up."

"Yes!" Albert cheered and bolted to the front door the shop. Dropping his head in disbelief, Rumald shook his head from side to side and raised his hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose. She smirked at him, watching Rumald, as Albert yanked the door open and slammed it behind himself, hurrying to Grannies. Taking in a deep breath, Rumald straightened and raised his head up to smile briefly at Belle. He swivelled round on the heel of his foot and walked purposefully to the curtained doorway.

"He does make me wonder about him." Rumald said over his shoulder and slipped through the curtains into the back room.

"You were probably the same at his age. Food is all boys ever thing about." Belle followed behind him, discarding her bag to one of the glass counters as she passed it, and parted the curtains to go into the back room. A small scream escaped her lips and then a giggle, when Rumald tugged her round and wrapped his arms around her. One of her hands clutched one of the lapels of his jacket, whilst her other hand touched his cheek.

"Food is not the only thing boys of his age think about, dearie." Rumald whispered, his voice dark, as he moved them to put the wall behind Belle's back, pinning her against him.

Belle stroked her hand down his smooth face, half missing the stubble he had shaved off that morning. "Yes, it seems nothing changes as they get older either."

"Hmm…" He murmured with his eyes flittering around her face before stopping on her lips.

"You're supposed to be locking up the shop." Belle tried to remind him, as his grip tightened on her arms, keeping her from escaping.

His head titled so his nose was near her neck. "I can't help myself when it comes to you." Her brow narrowed when she heard him take a whiff of her. "I'm addicted."

"What's come over you?" Belle asked him, slightly amused while at a lost for his behaviour.

A grin spread over his lips as his eyes met with hers. "You make me feel like that fool hardy young man again."

She sucked in an aggregated breathe. His hand came up to softly touch her face, smoothing over her soft skin, and brushed his thumb over her cheekbone. There was a look of intent in his eyes. A look she knew all too well from their time together. Inclining himself into Belle, Rumald kissed her. He was gentle, but she could tell he was holding himself back. His body urged for more contact, while his lips remained firm during their kiss.

As Belle lifted her hand to clasp at the base of his head, trying to encourage him to further their kiss, Rumald pulled his lips away from hers and lingered near her. "We should go to Grannies."

"We should." She agreed gazing at him through hooded eyes. One corner of his lip gradually raised. He gave her a lopsided smile, whilst he drew his hand from her ear to stroke the pad of his thumb over her lips. His thumb trailed a burning path down over her lips and down her chin. She had to stem the burn, tame the tingle in her lip, by biting down onto her lower lip.

Instantly Rumald's eyes went from her eyes to her lip, his lopsided smile faded and left his lips pressed into a thin line. "Too bad I've got a meeting at the Rabbit Hole tonight."

"What about after that?" Belle asked latching her hands around the back of his neck.

"It'll be late when I get home." He told her parting her coat to slip his hands underneath it, positioning his hands either side of her hips.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to wake me up." She grinned at him.

A squeak escaped her, when Rumald bumped her hard into the wall. His body heavily compressed her into the wall. The pressure of his weight crushing her breasts made Belle uncomfortable and thrilled her. Her smirk widened at seeing the small traces of his dark side in his eyes, the fix stare of her beast.

"Don't – tease – me, Miss French." Rumald barked at her, his hot breath caressed her skin.

"I'm not teasing you, Mr Gold." She purred before jerking his head closer, bringing their lips ever so close. "I'm hoping you'll come home and have your way with me."

A deep animalistic growl emanated from Rumald as he hungrily latched onto Belle's lips. His fingers pressed through her clothing and into her skin, causing Belle to let out a small moan of her own. This time his kiss was more demanding with his tongue darting out to tease at her lips, seeking entrance into her mouth. Opening her mouth to him, she pulled his head closer, encouraging him to delve deeper into her mouth as she thrusted her tongue into his mouth.

Rumald stumbled a step backwards, surprised by the ringing of a phone and the buzzing in his pocket. Reluctantly Belle eased her hold around his neck, as he pulled his suit jacket to one side and shoved his hand into his pocket, retrieving the annoying contraption that interrupted them. His lips pursed together and he huffed down at the phone, whilst he swept his finger across the screen to answer it. Listening to Rumald greet his son, she smiled and straightened her clothes underneath her coat.

"Yes, we're coming." Rumald informed his son, heading to the back door of the shop. "No, I'm just locking up now."

She slowly breathed out through her mouth, giving herself a chance to calm down, while Rumald flicked the dead bolts across the top and bottom of the back door. As she tugged her coat around herself, Belle walked out of the backroom and glanced over her shoulder to find Rumald close behind her, closing the gap between them in only a few steps. Reaching for her bag from the counter, Belle let out a small yelp at the sudden smack on her backside. With a playful look on his face, Rumald looked at her over his shoulder, whilst he went to the side door of the shop to slide the dead bolts across at the top and bottom of the door.

"Nothing. You know what she's like. Tripped over herself as we were leaving the shop." Rumald explained standing up straight from bending over to secure the bottom of the door.

"You know what she's like?" Belle quietly questioned herself aloud.

Detouring to the counter, where his overcoat lay over the glass counter, Rumald rolled his eyes at whatever Albert was telling him. "Well, why don't you order what food you want and a coffee and an ice tea, and we'll be there in a minute. Okay, bye."

He was shaking his head down at his phone, as he ended the call and slid the phone into his pants pocket. "I wish he hadn't inherited her impatience."

"We did get a little distracted." Belle stated to him, while Rumald shrugged on his thick overcoat coming to stand next to her.

"Yes, well… Let's go eat." Rumald suggested placing his hand on her lower back, guiding her towards the front door of the shop. They shared a smile when Belle glanced over her shoulder to look at him. She opened the door of the shop, letting the cold air in, and Rumald flicked off the shop lights plunging it into darkness. Close together, they moved out onto the sidewalk with Rumald closing the door behind them. He locked the shop and offered his arm out for her, smiling at her as she hooked her hand around his arm.

It was only a short walk to Grannies. One they had done many times before. But as they walked, it felt as though time had slowed down for them. Allowing them to enjoy a sweet moment where it was just them, no cares in the world, as they walked the sidewalk and crossed the intersection. An ease came over her as they stepped together onto the opposite kerb of the intersection and kept their step in time. Belle rested her head against his shoulder, just the right height for her, unlike Gaston's, who had been too tall for her to rest her head properly on his shoulder. Rumald was the perfect height, being only an inch or two taller than her, when she was wearing heels.

His warm fingers gathered her fingers into his hand and led her to take the lead, as they came to turn into Grannies and headed up the porch to Grannies. Rumald moved around her to come up the porch on her left and opened the door for her. The warmth of Grannies enticed Belle to swiftly step into Grannies, relishing the welcome heat.

"Belle!" Albert called. "Dad!"

Rumald peeled Belle's coat from her shoulders and removed it from her arms, as she juggled her bag between her hands, Belle thanked him with a smile over her shoulder. While Belle ambled over to the booth, Albert had procured for them; Rumald hung her coat and removed his own to hang beside hers. Belle slid into the seat opposite Albert and gazed expectantly at Rumald, waiting for him to come over to the table. Instead, he had wandered over to Grannie, joining her behind the counter, and was talking to her with his hand supporting his weight onto the counter. His fingers combed through his hair as he nodded at whatever Grannie was telling him.

"I thought you two were never coming." Albert commented and slurped on the straw in his drink.

Belle tore her eyes from Rumald and smiled at Albert across the table. "Course, we were coming…" Her thoughts drifted back to Rumald's shop, his lips hauntingly kissed her as she lifted her hand to cover her mouth. "We just got distracted, that's all."

His eyebrows rose at her partial confession. "I don't want to know."

"Don't want to know what?" Rumald asked dropping into the space by Belle, his hand immediately found her knee underneath the table.

"He doesn't want to know what distracted us from leaving the shop." Belle told him, covering his hand on her knee with hers.

"Ah," Rumald smirked and titled his face to Belle. "So he shouldn't. Especially as I was showing you his Christmas present."

Albert jolted forward and bumped into the table. "My present's at the shop?"

"Maybe…" Rumald teased Albert, as Ruby came over to the table with a tray, carrying the coffee and ice tea Rumald had told Albert to order over the phone.

"An ice tea for the lovely lady." Ruby grinned at Belle, as she placed the glass of ice tea down onto the table in front of her friend.

"Thank you, Ruby." Belle retrieved her glass from the table and sipped from the straw in her drink.

Ruby set Rumald's coffee down in front of him. "A coffee for you, sir."

"Thank you." Rumald said twisting his cup, so the handle of his cup faced him.

"Do you guys want any food?" Ruby inquired as she pulled her notepad out of her apron and placed it onto her tray to get her pen from her pocket. "Albert's already ordered."

Rumald angled his head to look at Belle next him. "Sweetheart?"

"I'll have the steak and cheese sandwich, please, Ruby." Belle said as she stirred the straw in her drink.

"I'll have the same." Rumald told Ruby claiming his coffee from the table and stroked his fingers over the top of her knee.

Ruby chuckled as she wrote down their order. "Of course, you always have the same."

They both looked at Ruby at the same time. However, Ruby did not notice their questioning looks and wandered away from the table, ripping the slip from her notepad. Slowly they both turned their heads to look at each other, sharing a bemused look.

"I need the bathroom." Albert announced to them, making them both turn their gaze onto him, whilst he slid out of the booth and went in the direction of the bathrooms.

Rumald squeezed her knee, bringing her attention back to him, as he asked. "So… When I come home tonight, will I be pleasantly surprised to find you wearing – the – nightie?"

"The nightie?" She questioned with a frown.

"The one I found, when I got some of your clothes from the apartment." He hushed his voice, leaning into her, as he reminded her of the nightie in question.

Belle smiled coyly at him, excited by the fantasy of him getting into bed with her to find her wearing the nightie in question. She had hoped, it had been forgotten and he had binned it as she had requested. When she had bought it under protest, the idea of wearing the flimsy outfit had repulse her, but seeing the want on his face as he mentioned the nightie, she could not help but think to herself, 'Why not?'.

Ruby appeared at their table with a plate of food and Belle looked from Rumald to Ruby, as Ruby said. "Looks like someone saw the lingerie I bought you."

"What?" Rumald quirked a look at Ruby and then at Belle.

"Or… Maybe he hasn't." Ruby commented as she slipped away from the table.

Rumald watched Ruby walk away before he said. "What lingerie?"

Taking a sip from her ice tea, Belle mentally cursed Ruby and her timing and set her drink back down on the table. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Yes! Food!" Albert cheered dropping back into the seat, opposite them in the booth.

Without taking his gaze away from Belle, Rumald said. "Bae, take your food and find another table."

"Eh?" Albert held his burger up, ready to take a bite out of it.

"Take you food and go to another table." He ordered Albert in a stern voice, but his eyes remained fixed on Belle.

Knowing not to ask any questions, Albert put his burger down onto his plate and scooted out from the booth. Belle's eyes were wide. The change in Rumald alarmed her, but she stayed quiet meeting Albert's eyes as he looked between them. He must have guessed Rumald wanted some space to talk and went to counter, hopping up onto one of the stools.

Rumald did not even look to see they were alone, when he asked. "What lingerie?"

"It's nothing, Rumald." Belle insisted, squeezing her fingers around his hand. "Ruby's just thinks our sex life needs livening up."

"And what gives her that impression?" He questioned twisting his body to face her.

"I don't know. Probably because of the way I am, I guess." Belle suggested to him, shrugging her shoulders at his question.

Rumald's eyes squinted at her, searching for the truth in her eyes. "You've not said anything to her?"

"No." She told him with a shake of her head.

His eyebrows pressed down over his eyes. "You've not told her you're dissatisfied with me?"

"Rumald!" Belle's voice rose more than she expected, drawing some of the surrounding patrons to look over at them.

"Are you? Satisfied?" He persisted, hunching over towards her.

"You always satisfy me." She stated to him, keeping her voice low so only he could hear her.

Rumald closed his eyes at her words and breathed heavily through his nose. "Okay."

Titling her head to see him better, she could feel there was more to it as she asked. "What's wrong, Rumald?"

A crooked smile came over his lips and he opened his eyes, saying. "Just old memories."

Belle was about to say something, when Ruby came over to their table and set down their orders in front of them. He shifted back round to face the table and picked up the cutlery Ruby placed down onto the table, after setting down their meals. His demeanour changed, going from stiff to relax in a second. She scrunched her brow in thought as she watched him cut his sandwich in half and then picked up one of the halves to start eating. The change left her wary as she picked up a fry from her plate. He had been doing so well, controlling his inner demons that she had near enough forgotten about his and her own, latching onto the strength he had given her to control them. As she watched him chew his mouthful of food, Belle prayed it was only lapse and not the first step backwards.


	72. Chapter 72

The lamp on her bedside table washed the surrounding area in light and allowed Belle to read, while she waited for Rumald to come home. Her gaze casually went to the clock on her bedside. The green numbers revealed it was nearly midnight and he was still not home. She knew the meeting started at nine, but whatever the meeting was about, Belle had no clue. It had not occurred to her to ask him what the meeting at the Rabbit Hole was about. Her eyes went to her phone sat beside her alarm clock, as she pondered over whether she should text him to see where he was. But then… He did say he was going to be late home.

Breathing heavily through her mouth, Belle shifted in the bed and turned to lean in the direction of Rumald's pillows, putting her back to the clock on her bedside table. She found her place in her book and began reading again, half listening for the sound of the front door opening. No matter how she tried to concentrate on her book, her eyes kept peeping over the top of her book at Rumald's bedside clock. The late hour teased her, taunted her, with other reasons why he could be out so late in the night. She slammed the two sides of her book shut, killing the persistent taunts, and threw her legs out from underneath the covers.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Belle slid her book onto her bedside table and decided to go downstairs for a hot chocolate. Gracefully she stood up and tugged down the nightie he had wanted her to wear. Trying to stretch it to cover herself was pointless. The material would snap back up to sit midway on her ass. Vainly Belle kept pulling down the nightie as she crossed their bedroom to the bathroom and retrieved her bathrobe before leaving their bedroom. As she quietly walked down the hallway to the stairs, Belle tied her bathrobe tightly around herself, while she grumbled at the nightie hiking its way further up her body, revealing more of herself underneath the robe. She shook her head at the annoyance of it and descended the stairs.

The house was in complete darkness. The only thing shining light into the darkness was the clock on the oven as she stepped through into the kitchen from the entrance hall. Belle yawned whilst she collected the kettle from its stand and stepped over to the sink to fill it up. For a second, a small glimmer of hope that Rumald was home shot through her until she remembered he had given her the keys to his car outside Grannies. Telling her to take his car and he would walk home. Shaking her head, she placed the kettle back onto its stand and clicked the switch. She selected a cup from the cupboard by her head and deposited a couple of teaspoons of hot chocolate into it. While she waited, Belle perched herself against the counter and folded her arms over her chest, wondering where he was.

The kettle clicked. Reaching out for the kettle, Belle poured the hot water into her cup and stirred her hot chocolate at the same time. She picked up her cup to place it on the kitchen island before she opened the fridge door to retrieve the milk. Leaving the fridge door open, flooded the room with light and allowed Belle to see as she poured the milk into her hot chocolate.

A movement out of the corner of her eye startled Belle. The bottom of the milk carton thudded against the counter. Holding her hand over her heart, Belle breathed heavily with her eyes on Rumald sat at the breakfast table. Bowing his head, he stared down at the glass of whiskey on the table in front of him. She beamed a smile, inwardly thankful he was home, and picked up the milk to put it back into the fridge. Belle closed the fridge and collected her hot chocolate to join him at the breakfast table.

"How was your meeting?" Belle asked pulling out a chair to sit down next to him.

He inhaled loudly through his nose, inflating himself to sit up, and glanced at her to show her a small brief smile. "It was fine, sweetheart."

"Did you just come in? I didn't hear you." She slid her arm over the table and clasped his hand, lingering near his glass of whiskey.

"No, I've been here a while." Rumald confessed, inclining himself against the back of the chair.

Belle scowled at his confession. "Why didn't you come to bed? I've been waiting up for you."

"You didn't need to do that, sweetheart." He told her and placed his hand on top of hers that held his hand.

"I wanted to." Belle squeezed his fingers as she spoke, bringing his attention to her and smiled at him, when he looked up at her from his whiskey. His normal reaction would have been to return her smile, but not even a hint of a smile twitched at the corner of his lips. He dropped his gaze back down to the whiskey glass in front of him and withdrew his hand from on top of hers. Seeing his hand slip off the top of hers made her frown at their hands before moving her gaze up to his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked leaning forward onto the table.

Rumald turned his head from side to side, dismissing her question. "Don't worry about it."

"Rumald," Saying his name brought his gaze to her. "We don't work, if you don't talk to me. You taught me that at the cabin, when you made me tell you my nightmare. Sharing it helps it go away."

He let out a loud huff and returned his gaze to stare at his glass of whiskey, and said. "I just worry I'm not good enough for you. I don't want you settling for me, especially if I don't give you what you need or want."

When she heard his confession, Belle could not help the small chuckle that escaped from her mouth before she could stifle with her hand. As she studied, sweeping her gaze down from his short greying hair to his line riddled forehead, to his scarred eyebrow, to his pointed nose, to his soft firm lips, the absurdity of him not being good enough for her amused her. The idea that she was better than he was or in another league compared to him caused another chuckle to escape from her.

Sitting there with Rumald, Belle finally understood Ruby's comment about them hit home. The hurt they had both experienced in their lives, their demons, had brought them to this moment. He was her saviour in the darkness, and she was his. Neither one was less or more without the other. Rumald gave her the confidence to be the woman she wanted to be, to do her own thing. He allowed her to choose her future, without sacrificing her own wants or dreams. In return, she gave him the courage to be himself, soothing his inner darkness enough, so his lighter side could show through. The little boy who was desperate for air and comfort was able to shine through, while the cold-hearted beast stood protectively to one side, lingering in the shadows.

"Rumald," Belle said softly to him, dragging his hand closer to her, and clasped his hand between both of hers. "Look at me." He blinked his eyes and opened them to look at her. "How could I possibly want anything more than what you've given me?"

At hearing her question, Rumald slumped forward onto the table, bracing his weight onto his forearms, while his gaze fell back to the glass of whiskey. "I'm never good enough."

The sadness of in his tone worried Belle. "What's wrong? Did something happen today? You haven't seen Milah have you?"

"No, not Milah." He said closing his eyes.

Creasing her brow in worry, she caressed her thumb over the back of his hand as she asked. "Then what?"

He pulled his hand out of her grasp to hold open his suit jacket and dipped his other hand inside, pulling an envelope out of the inner pocket of his jacket. His hand offered the crinkled envelope towards her, while Rumald averted his gaze anywhere but at the envelope. Slowly she took the offered envelope from him and slid her fingers inside the ripped edge to pinch the letter inside. Her eyes went from the envelope to Rumald, and then back to the envelope as the letter came out of it.

Belle discarded the envelope to the table and unfolded the letter to see it was handwritten, in very similar style to the Rumald's handwriting. Her eyes went from the letter to Rumald, as he downed his whiskey in one. Drawing in a deep breath through her nose, Belle turned her attention back to the letter and began to read it.

' _Rumald,_

 _It has come to my attention that you have taken property, which does not belong to you. I have told you several times in the past, you have no right to any property in my home, especially which belonged to Fiona. You do not deserve to have anything of hers and you would be wise to return the piece of property before I take this matter further._

 _I am instructing you to wrap the piece of property securely for transport and have it courier to me, as soon as possible. The item should be wrapped to prevent damage. Any damage found on its arrival, you will be accountable for, so I suggest you take great care with it._

 _In regards to the item in question, I request that you remove the photos with yourself in them, as I have no interest in them. I give you this opportunity to remove them, as they will be destroyed on the return of the property. Your pictures should never have been added. You're not good enough to be anywhere near pictures of my dear Fiona._

 _Malcolm Gold'_

The coldness of his father astounded Belle. Apart from knowing Malcolm Gold was Rumald's father, the letter sounded like it was wrote by a complete stranger, requesting the return of his property. Belle held her hand over her mouth whilst she reread the letter, searching for any hint of affection she may have missed. Even when she and her own father had fought and had not spoken in the past, she knew that he loved her in his own way. The letter from Rumald's father… She could never imagine the coldness Rumald had known from his father.

Belle laid the letter down onto the table and stared at it. "When did this come?"

"It was at the shop after I came back from the council meeting." Rumald informed her with his arms crossed onto the table.

"That explains your behaviour earlier." She stated as she picked up her hot chocolate and sipped from it.

"I'm sorry." He muttered and bent his head forward. "You just make me feel so good… I just wanted… I didn't want to feel worthless."

A small growl of annoyance emanated from Belle, as she shot up from her chair and went to him to gathering him up into her arms, holding onto him as she rested her cheek onto the top of his head. One of his hands found her upper arm and clutched at it, whilst he buried his face into the front of her bathrobe. Belle turned her head enough to kiss the top of his head and held him, cursing everyone and anyone who had ever caused her Rumald harm.

"You're not worthless, Rumald." She told him, breathing into his hair.

His weight pushed against her as his body slumped against her, as she said. "You've got to start believing it." Belle lifted her hand to his head and stroked her fingers through his hair. "You mean too much to me, to Bae, to be worthless. The only person, who should be thinking they're worthless, is your father."

Rumald remained silent. His body was still apart from him breathing in and out. His fingers dug through the fabric of her bathrobe, trying to burrow into her flesh. She stood there holding him, not knowing what else she could do or say to try to convince him. Heavily Belle breathed into his hair and closed her eyes, wishing she could take all his worries and troubles away from him.


	73. Chapter 73

Her heels clicked on the polished floor as Belle sauntered down a corridor of the school, searching for Albert and Emma, peeking into the classrooms through the open doorways. She shifted her bag further onto her shoulder as she moaned under her breath. All she wanted to do was go home and put her feet up after the busy day she had. Belle had wanted to make sure everything was up to date in both libraries, and had her work cut out for her with the town's library as Janice was on holiday. She was grateful Jess kept the school library in such good order, as all she had to do when she arrived at the school was sign off on the new requisitions and bid Jess a happy Thanksgiving.

Belle scrunched her brow down over her eyes as she paused near an open doorway and stepped into it, hearing music playing from the room. Standing in the doorway, she spotted Albert and Emma huddled around a computer. A small smirk pulled at the corners of Belle's lips at the sight of the young couple. Emma was sat on Albert's lap, her arm around his neck, whilst the two of them pointed and discussed whatever they were doing the computer.

Walking into the room, Belle moved her bag on her shoulder and came to stand behind them, when she said. "Hey guys!"

"Argh!" Emma screamed leaping up from Albert's lap. Holding a hand to her lips to hide her smirk and muffle her chuckle, Belle stepped closer to Albert and curiously peeped at the computer screen. As Belle bent over to see the screen, Albert gave her a glare his father would have been proud of, menacing enough to make a lesser person step back. However, of course, Belle was immune to the Gold's family legendary glare and laughed inwardly at it.

"What're you two up to?" Belle asked them as her gaze scrutinised the computer screen.

Albert saved his work and closed the program, but not before Belle saw a picture of herself and Rumald disappear off the screen. "Nothing, just a pet project."

"Okay…" She said taken aback by Albert's secretive demeanour, while he pulled his memory stick from the computer. "Well, are you guys ready to go?"

"Yep!" Emma said cheerfully, collecting their backpacks from the table, they had left them on earlier.

Belle smiled at Emma, as Emma handed Albert his backpack. "Are you coming home with us or" Belle looked to Albert. "Are you going to Emma's?"

"Emma's coming home with us." Albert said taking hold of Emma's hand.

"Do you guys have a preference for dinner?" Belle questioned, as they followed her out of the classroom.

"Pizza!" Albert proclaimed, causing his voice to echo down the empty corridor.

Emma nodded her head in agreement with him. "Pizza."

"Don't know why I bother asking." Belle said to herself aloud, pushing open a door that led outside. "You two always want pizza."

"Nothing wrong with pizza." Albert said whilst he held the door open for Emma.

Belle stopped and turned to look at him. "You're going to turn into the pizza character from Space Balls one of these days, with the amount of pizza you eat."

"Space balls?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrows at Belle.

"Space balls, comedy from late eighties? Mocks Star Wars?" Belle supplied falling into step beside Albert and Emma. The questioning looks the two of them gave her told Belle all she needed to know: she was getting old. Rolling her eyes, Belle shifted her bag on her shoulder as they turned the corner of the building and came out onto the staff parking lot.

"What time is dad back?" Albert inquired coming to a stop on the passenger side of Belle's car.

Belle unlocked the car, as she replied. "I don't think he'll be back 'til about seven. Said something about meeting someone."

"That'll be the third time he's been home late this week." Albert said voicing his annoyance as he yanked open the door to climb into the passenger seat, whilst Emma got into the back of the car and shut her door. "He keeps promising to take me out driving."

"You know he'll take you." Belle said dropping into the car at the same time as Albert, so their shoulders bumped into each other. "He's just busy."

Albert snatched at his seat belt, while Belle placed her bag onto his lap. "Shouldn't make promises he can't keep."

"Bae, he's going to keep it and you know he will. He's trying to sort everything at the shop and with the other businesses, so he doesn't have to work tomorrow or Friday. Not all of us have the luxury of getting the time off." She titled her head to see him sat in the passenger seat beside her, giving him a look she hoped would stop the conversation from going any further.

"Dad's never bothered with Thanksgiving before." Albert muttered clicking his seat belt in.

Belle rolled her eyes at him and started the car, as she said. "Won't it be a nice change then?"

"How was your day, Belle?" Emma inquired from the back seat of the car, thankfully changing the subject.

"Busy, very busy, Emma." Belle said looking in the rear view mirror to see Emma and smiled her thanks.

Albert made a 'pfft' noise, gazing out of the passenger window, while Belle pulled out of the parking space. She glanced over at him, taking in the sight of him before turning her attention back onto the road. The cheerful boy she had grown to love seemed to be elsewhere, leaving behind a very grumpy teenager.

Shrugging her shoulders at her thoughts, she carried on driving through Storybrooke whilst Albert and Emma told Belle about the new gossip going around the school. She did not paid them much attention. School life seemed to be too much like a soap opera. He said this, she did that, they had a fight and broke up. Just as it was when Belle was at school and probably how it would be when Albert's children were at school, or even her own children. An endless cycle of drama, which at the time seems more important than anything else going on in the world. How naïve they were, only finding out when they entered the real world that there was more to life, than whether Michelle Alberton actually lost her virginity to Shaun O'Neill.

Belle shook her head from side-to-side, disbelieving they were discussing Michelle Alberton's virginity as she turned the car into their street. As the car neared the house, she smiled spotting Rumald's car in the driveway behind Albert's.

She swatted at Albert's arm and pointed in the direction of the house, as she slowed to a stop at the kerb outside the house. "See! You're dad's home!"

"We'll see." Albert mumbled with his eyes on his father's car.

"Maybe he finished his deal early." Emma suggested, reaching through into the front to squeeze Albert's shoulder.

"Come on." Belle said cheerfully patting Albert on his knee and pulled the latch to open her car door. She climbed out of the car and shut her car door, and waited for Emma and Albert to do the same. When they had got out of the car and shut their doors, she locked the car and joined them to walk up to the house. Albert handed Belle her bag and quickened his step once she had taken the bag from him. With his step longer than Belle's or Emma's, he was already opening the front door as the two of them stepped onto the first step up onto the porch.

"Dad!" Albert shouted into the house, leaving the front door wide open for them. "Dad!"

Belle entered the house after Emma and dropped her bag to sit on the floor by the front door. "Bae, stop shouting. He's probably out in the garage or he's got his earphones in."

The back doors clattered when Albert yanked them open and left the door open, traipsing out onto the patio to see whether his father in the garage. Emma let out a long sigh, drawing Belle's attention to her.

"What's up with him?" Belle asked, moving to stand beside the young woman.

"He's a little upset because they normally spend Thanksgiving at the cabin." Emma said keeping her voice low and turned to face Belle, in case Albert came back in from outside. "He always looks forward to going to the cabin."

Belle scrunched her eyebrows together. "Rumald's not said anything about it."

"Don't know. Mr Gold just said they weren't going this year." Emma shrugged her shoulders at Belle.

"I'll have a word with him later." Belle said touching Emma's shoulder.

"He's not outside." Albert announced coming back into the house and shut the glass doors with a loud clatter.

"Hey!" Belle scolded him, as he stalked towards them in the entrance hall. "Careful with those doors!"

Albert waved his hand dismissively at her. "Dad'll fix them. He's had lots of practise from when he's smashed them up."

As Albert brushed pass them to head up the stairs, Belle watched in disbelief as the grumpy teenager went up the stairs. "I don't know which is worse. Living in a dorm with a bunch of girls or living with your father and you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Albert stopped midway up the stairs, his hand resting on the banister as he lent over it to see them below.

"It means," Belle said, making her way towards the kitchen. "I don't know whose more hormonal, you two or hundreds of girls."

Emma giggled following Belle into the kitchen, leaving Albert on the stairs to watch them leave the entrance hall. Belle glanced back at Emma and smiled removing her coat to lay over the back of a chair, causing Emma to laugh aloud. Smiling Belle went to the fridge and lifted the magnet pinning the menu for the pizzeria to the fridge, and slid the menu out from underneath it. She handed it to Emma and opened the fridge to select one of the white wines Rumald had bought for her to try.

"What do you fancy?" Belle asked Emma, waltzing round the kitchen to the cutlery draw and opened it to take out the corkscrew.

"Not sure." Emma said reading through the options. "I don't really want a lot."

Belle popped the cork out of her bottle wine. "I'll share one with you, if you want."

"What do you like?" Emma asked holding the menu towards Belle.

"Oh, I don't mind, just nothing too spicy." She told Emma, as she stepped over to cabinet with the glasses in it and retrieved herself a wine glass from inside of it. A loud bang echoed through the floorboards above them, causing them both to look up to the ceiling. The house was silent as they listened, waiting for another bang or voices from above.

Pursing her lips together, Belle decided to fill her wine glass with her wine and go investigate. "Emma just order Bae's usual but the largest, as Rumald will share that with Bae. Get whatever you fancy."

"Okay." Emma said reaching into her pocket to get her phone, as Belle walked by her to leave the kitchen. As she climbed the stairs, Belle removed her heels and walked barefooted up the cool wooden steps, purposefully listening out for their voices. Reaching the top of the stairs, she quietened her step, trying to decipher whether they were just chatting or something else was occurring. Albert's bedroom door was closed, which was very unusual she noted as she walked passed it, heading to their bedroom.

Casually she pushed open their door to find no one in their bedroom, but could heard something chink in the bathroom. Belle tossed her shoes to the floor and stepped into the bathroom, sipping at the cold refreshing wine. She smiled when she saw Rumald stood at the sink, a towel wrapped around his waist, as he strained his head up to shave under his chin. Watching him drag his razor up his neck to the edge of his chin, reminded her of Monday night when she had ran the tip of her tongue up the same path. She bit her lower lip at the memory and rested back against the wall behind her.

After comforting him for god knows how long, Belle had managed to talk him into going to bed, leading him up the stairs by his hand. He had trudged his way reluctantly up the stairs, feeling too empty to care where he slept that night. She had forgotten about the nightie until she had removed her bathrobe and became self-conscious, pulling and yanking the hem of the nightie down to cover herself. During her futile fight with her nightie, Belle had forgotten about Rumald till he nipped at the nape of her neck startling her. All the effort she had put into pulling the nightie down had been for nothing, when Rumald pierced his fingers through the thin material, freeing her breasts from her the confines of it. She did not know which made her happier, the feverish sex they had or the fact she could never wear that nightie ever again.

"I can tell by the look on your face, you're thinking dirty thoughts." Rumald told her, eyeing her through the mirror, as he washed out his razor in the hot suds in the sink.

Belle grinned at him as she moved to stand behind him, looking at him through the mirror. "Only dirty thoughts of you."

"Oh, really, dearie?" He said with a cheeky grin, titling his head to one side.

"Really, dearie." She smiled and sipped from her glass.

"What're you drinking?" He asked angling his head to run the razor up his neck again.

Belle held the glass for him to see. "It's one of the bottles you bought me to try. It's really nice."

He did not say anything until the razor got to the end of its travels and swished it through the water in the sink. "Good. Glad you like it."

"What was the bang?" She asked him, just as Rumald raised the razor to his neck, ready to remove some more shaving cream.

Rumald dropped the razor from his neck and scratched absently at his chest. "I'm guessing Bae slamming his bedroom door."

"Unusual for Bae." Belle said stepping over to the bathroom cabinet to sit back against the edge of it. His scarred eyebrow raised at her, whilst he dragged his razor up his neck to his chin. Patiently she waited and watched him forcefully shaking his razor in the hot suds.

"He's just upset with me." Rumald told her checking himself in the mirror.

"Why's he upset with you?" She questioned before drinking from her glass.

He squinted his eyes at her, studying her, and then leant forward into her, bringing their faces close together. "Don't pretend don't know anything, dearie." Rumald pointed his razor at her, accusing her. "I know you know something. You've got that knowing look in your eye."

"Okay," Belle rolled her eyes at him. "Why aren't you taking him to the cabin?"

"Because I thought, as it's your first Thanksgiving in Storybrooke, you'd want to see the festivities." Rumald explained waving his razor through the air between them.

"I haven't given it much thought. Thanksgiving is just a day to me. I've never had anything to be thankful for." She shrugged her shoulders as she spoke and drank from her wine.

His free hand came up to touch her face. "I've got lots to be thankful for this year."

Belle smiled and tilted her face into his touch. "Mr Gold, are you sweet talking me?"

"Not at all, Miss French." He said leaning away from her and removing his hand from her cheek. "I'm thankful for my businesses doing better than last year."

"Hey!" She cried and slapped his bare arm.

"Ow!" He laughed. "I'm joking! Course, I'm thankful for you!"

Belle put her glass down on the cabinet and jumped to stand in front of him, and poked her finger into his chest. "So you should be!"

"Oh, shut up." He told her as he tossed his razor into the sink and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him.

"Rumald, you've got…" Rumald kissing her muffled her protest as he pinned her between his hips and the sink behind her. The foreign silky foam clinging to her face did not put her off. They both forgot about the shaving cream they mushed it over each other's faces while they kissed. She raised her hands to clutch at his face, encouraging him to deepen the kiss as she opened her mouth to him, and covered one of her hands in the cream on his face.

There was a faint noise that sounded like a doorbell, but it did not register enough with either of them to realise someone was at the house. One of Rumald's hands slid down her silky blouse to mould over the material of her skirt covering her backside and squeezed at the swell of her behind. The slight pain he inflicted caused Belle to tiptoe, a half-hearted attempt to get away from what had caused her pain whilst she pressed herself against his bare chest. His body was so hot she could feel the heat through her clothes.

"Dad!" Albert called.

Rumald ripped his lips away from her, causing Belle to become unbalanced as he leant his weight away from her. "What?"

"There's a guy at the door for you." Albert said, sounding like he was in the doorway to their bedroom. "Mr Hyde. Says you're expecting him."

"Tell him, I'll be down in a minute." Rumald called back to Albert.

"Okay." Albert said before they heard their bedroom door shut.

Rumald turned his gaze on Belle and started laughing. "Oh, god!"

"I was trying to tell you." Belle said scooping some of the shaving cream off her face and then groaned when she saw both her hands were covered in it.

"Now you've done it!" He chuckled reaching pass her to snatch the hand towel from the rail beside the sink. "Here."

Rumald used the towel to wipe the shaving cream off Belle's face, as she asked him. "Who's Mr Hyde?"

His eyes flicked for a moment from her cheek to her eyes. "No one you need to worry about. Just a business deal."

"I thought as you were home, you were done for the day." Belle said raising her head up to allow him better access.

"I wish," Rumald muttered and smiled handing the towel over to her. "But I've been putting this off for a month. As soon as I'm done with him, I'm free for the whole weekend."

"Speaking of the weekend." Belle said stepping out of his way and watched him shake the water off his razor before running it down his cheek.

He swished the razor through the water. "What about it?"

"I really think you should take him to the cabin. Emma says he's been looking forward to it." Belle shared with him as she wiped the foam off her hands.

"He's wants a boy's only weekend though." Rumald said turning his head to look at her.

"And?" She raised and dropped her shoulders at him. "It's been a while since you two did something together. Go and have a boy's weekend. I've got plenty of things to do around here and who knows? Maybe I'll have a girlie night out."

He turned his attention back to the mirror and posed the razor ready to shave his cheek. "If that's what you want, sweetheart."

"I just want everyone to be happy." Belle told him, touching his arm after he finished his stroke down his cheek.

"And I want to spend the weekend with you." Rumald said cleaning his razor in the suds.

"We've got plenty of time coming up to spend together." She stepped into him, supporting herself with a hand on his bare chest. "Especially when Bae goes away with Gladius in two weeks' time."

His breath hitched and he shuddered at the thought. Smiling at his reaction, Belle patted her hand against his chest and left him, tossing the hand towel into the hamper on her way out of the bathroom. She straightened her clothes whilst she padded down the hallway and descended the stairs. As she came down the stairs, she spotted the man Rumald was meeting lurking in the living room, stood near the fireplace, admiring the family photos that littered the mantelpiece.

Standing in the doorway to the living room, Belle felt an eerie feeling grow in the pit of her stomach, watching the man hold a picture of herself and Rumald as he looked over it. She did not like him touching their picture and felt the need to go over to him and snatch the picture out of his hands. Belle did not want to rude to him, seeing as Rumald was possibly doing business with him, and choose to clear her throat to bring his attention away from their photo.

"Mr Hyde, I presume?" Belle asked, watching him like a hawk as he put the picture back where it was.

Mr Hyde swivelled round on his heel and crossed the living room with ease to her, extending his hand to her. "My dear, you have me at a disadvantage."

"Belle." She informed him, taking hold of his hand to shake it.

"Ah," Mr Hyde used their joined hands to tug her closer to him, his eyes roamed over her face, taking in all her features. "A name that's just as delightful as its owner."

"My mother chose it." Belle said loosening her grip on his hand, but Mr Hyde did not release her hand.

"I will give Gold credit where credit is due. You're very beautiful." He told her, keeping her hand in his, as he stepped back to check her out from head to toe. "But then so was his first wife."

She tugged her hand out of his hold and clutched her hand to her chest, refraining from sneering at the gleeful look on his face. "Rumald will be down shortly."

"I'm sure he will be." Mr Hyde said to her, his tone made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Backing up away from him, Belle did not feel comfortable showing her back to him, not trusting the man who stood in their living room. When she backed up into the entrance hall, she quickly went into the kitchen, joining Emma and Albert, who were sat at the breakfast table looking at something on Emma's phone.

Belle glanced back over her shoulder in the general direction of the living room. "Bae, who's that?"

"Don't know." Albert said lifting his shoulders at her. "Never met him before."

"Don't think I've ever seen him around town either." Emma interjected at the same time she paused her phone and placed it down onto the table.

Behind her, Belle heard Rumald coming down the stairs. Going to the opening, she got there in time to see Rumald walk through into the living room, holding his hand out ready to greet Mr Hyde.

"Long time, Mr Hyde." She heard Rumald say.

"Yes, well that kind of happens when you screw someone over." Mr Hyde replied.

"I didn't screw anyone over." Rumald said. "Just a simple loophole."

Belle frowned hearing Mr Hyde chuckle. "Hopefully no loopholes this time."

"Like I said, this deal will be profitable for the both of us. I promise. Shall we?" Rumald said coming out of the living room into the entrance hall.

"I'll follow you in my car." Mr Hyde stated to Rumald, following him out of the living room.

Rumald gave Mr Hyde a crooked smile and spun on his heel to come into the kitchen. "Do you want me to get anything? Or do you need any money?"

"No, no. We're sorted." Belle said with Rumald stopping in front of her.

"You should be able to get me on my phone, if you need me." He told her leaning into her and kissed her sweetly on the lips.

Belle grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket, keeping him from leaning back. "I don't like him."

"You don't have to like someone, sweetheart, to do business with them." Rumald said to her and took the chance to give her another kiss. The kiss was payment enough for her to let go of him, but her eyes were on Mr Hyde in the entrance hall, who was watching the family interaction.

"Bae, we'll talk later about this weekend." Rumald said turning to go back to the entrance hall, straightening his suit jacket as he went. Albert said a distant 'okay', distracted by Emma showing him something on her phone again.

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Belle watched Rumald collect his overcoat from the coat hooks and open the door for Mr Hyde to exit the house. The eerie feeling in her stomach twisted at the look Mr Hyde gave her as he stepped out of the house. It eased slightly when Rumald smiled at her, shrugging on his overcoat, and left the house behind Mr Hyde, closing the door behind him. She was tempted to follow him, stalk him through Storybrooke, just to make sure he was okay but she knew he would not appreciated it. However, she could not shake the bad feeling she had about Mr Hyde.


	74. Chapter 74

Belle rolled over onto her back and stretched her arms above her head, touching the wooden headboard, as she opened her eyes to look up at the magnolia ceiling. Sighing she dropped her arms down onto the bed and breathed in deeply, loving the fact she had not got to rush to the library or had any work to do until Monday. Her hand felt around for Rumald, but did not find him next her. She lifted her head to check beside her and then scanned the room for him. He was nowhere to be seen. The only evidence Rumald had slept beside her were the ghostly crinkles in his pillow, where his head had rested during the night.

Lifting herself further up from the bed, her eyes went to his bedside table to see the clock showed it was near ten o'clock in the morning. Shocked by the time, she flipped round to confirm the time on her own bedside clock and threw back the covers, when her clock showed it was minute later than his clock. Belle climbed out of the bed and made the bed, smoothing the ruffles and bumps, and padded down their pillows.

As she stripped herself of her vest and pyjama shorts, tossing them onto the armchair near her chest of draws, Belle was disgusted with herself for sleeping in so late. Her head shook from side to side whilst she fed her arms into the straps of her bra and fastened it behind herself, repositioning herself within its constraint. She stepped into her panties and pulled them up, uncaring whether they matched her bra, and crossed the room to the wardrobe. She grabbed the first pair of jeans that were hers and unclipped them from the hanger, and threw the hanger over her shoulder onto the bed. The jeans snapped when she shook them out and forced her legs one at a time into the legs of her jeans. They were loose fitting, teasingly hugging her in the right places while they threatened to fall down with every sway of her hips.

Undecided between wearing a blouse, a hoodie or a t-shirt, her decision was forgotten when she spotted the black shirt Rumald had worn the night before, laid over the back of the armchair she had discarded her shorts and vest. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, while she walked across the room to the chair and plucked his shirt off the back of the chair. Belle could not help but take in a deep breath of his aftershave before she plunged her arm into one of the arms of his shirt and pulled it up her arm. She fed her other arm into the shirt and drew it around herself, unable to help herself as she breathed in his scent again. Her smile pushed her cheeks further apart and began to hurt whilst she buttoned up his shirt, leaving more than few unbutton from the neck down. Belle hugged herself walking out of their bedroom, savouring the caress of his soft, expensive shirt against her skin.

She let out a happy sigh and walked down the stairs, and reluctantly dropped her arms from around herself to guide herself down the stairs using the banister. Tilting herself forward, she peered into the living room to see no one in there. In thought, she pursed her lines into a tight line, wondering where Rumald and Albert were as she stepped off the last step of the stairs. Slowly she stepped into the kitchen, expecting Rumald or Albert to be in the kitchen, but neither of them in there. Standing in the open doorway, she listened to the house but heard no other movements or signs of life other than her own.

Belle combed a piece of loose hair behind her ear, deciding they must have gone out together, and waltzed through into the kitchen, and clicked the kettle on to boil. Her gaze went to the plates stacked on the drier on the draining board next to the sink. It looked like they had breakfast and left her to sleep in. She huffed at the sight of the plates and turned her attention to making a cup of tea, selecting a cup from the cabinet above her head and dropped a tea bag inside of it.

Half of her was happy they were out together, enjoying some quality time together, where the other half of her, wished they had woken her so she could be with them. As the kettle boiled and clicked, Belle shrugged her shoulders at her thoughts and poured the hot water into her cup. Belle replaced the kettle onto its stand and collected her cup of tea, contemplating what she could do with her alone time. Ambling from the kitchen through into the dining room, she decided to pick a book out from her bookshelf and lounge on the couch in the living room until they returned home. She allowed fate to decide and choose randomly, did not even look at the title, and carried on through into the living room.

Positioning her cup on the coffee table, Belle sat down onto the couch and grabbed the cushion from the other end to stack on top of the one beside her. She shifted on the couch to put her back to the cushions and settled back against them, stretching her legs the length of the couch, crossing her legs, as she opened the book to the start of the first chapter.

It was not long before Belle had devoured the first ten chapters of the book and had finished her tea, leaving it to sit on the floor next to the couch. As she turned to the next page, she heard the lock in the front door click and the front door open, the accompanying sound of the unused front door shaking in its frame. Crooking her head to see into the entrance hall, Belle watched Albert struggle his way into the house, carrying two large brown paper bags in his arms. He left the front door open behind him and went into the kitchen. She threw her legs over the edge of the couch and turned down the corner of her book in time to see Rumald come into the house with two large brown paper bags in his arms. His foot kicked out from behind him, roughly shutting the front door, clattering as it met the other door.

"Bae, put the kettle on." Rumald said as he entered the kitchen. Depositing her book to the coffee table, Belle collected her cup and jumped up from the couch to jog through into the kitchen.

"Hey!" She called entering the kitchen, finding them stood round the kitchen island with their hands delving into the bags. "I want one too!"

"Morning, sleepy head." Rumald greeted with the corner of his lip quirking into half a smile.

Belle smiled at him, coming to a stop at the kitchen island to stand beside him. "You should have woken me up."

"But you looked so peaceful." He told her and leant into her to peck a kiss onto her cheek.

"I was peaceful." Albert muttered from the other side of the kitchen island. "But you still woke me up."

Rumald titled his head and forced a smile at Albert. "You're young, you're full of energy. You don't need sleep."

"More like you wanted a slave to help you with the bags." Albert stated pulling a loaf of bread out of one of the paper bags in front of him.

"And I thought you'd appreciate spending the morning with your father." Rumald held his hand over his chest, faking he was hurt by Albert's comment. "You even got to drive me around town and up the wall in the grocery store."

Bemused by them Belle fought to keep her smile off her face, while Albert said. "You're using me like a cab."

"Sadly, my boy, that's the benefits of me, having a driving license. You have to do what I say." Rumald told Albert stepping over to the fridge to put a carton of orange juice inside it.

"Hey," Belle said to Rumald as he came back to stand next to her. "He can drive us to Gladius's."

"I've already driven this morning." Albert whined screwing up an empty brown bag and put in the trash under the sink.

Rumald leant his weight down onto the edge of the kitchen island. "Too bad we can't get drunk at Gladius's and have him drive us home."

"What?" Albert asked with his voice higher than normal.

"I didn't think of that." Belle placed her hand on Rumald's lower back, moving closer to him so the material of his overcoat on his shoulder brushed against her cheek.

"Problem is, is that one of us has to be sober for him to drive." Rumald angle his head to see Belle's face. "I don't think Sheriff Graham would appreciate us getting drunk and having hanky panky in the back of his car, while he drove us home." He explained to Belle, while a groan erupted from Albert.

A loud thud drew them back to look at Albert, their eyes following him, as he left the kitchen unzipping his hoodie, saying. "No one is having hanky panky, especially you two, drunk or sober, in the back of my car."

"Who says we haven't already?" Rumald called after Albert, smirking as he peered over the top of Belle's head at Albert in the entrance hall.

"Oh my god!" Albert cried spinning round. "Really!"

"No, just teasing." Rumald laughed reaching into tall brown paper bag and brought a bag of apples out of it.

"Sometimes I hate you…" Albert said pouting, stood in the opening to the kitchen with his shoulders slumped. Covering her mouth as she giggled, Belle observed the long, drawn out, shaking of Albert's head as he turned away from them and trudged his way upstairs. She was aware of Rumald moving away from her removing his overcoat to lay over the kitchen island, while her hand fell from where it had been positioned on his back.

When he was out of sight, she turned back to Rumald, who was emptying the bags of fruit he bought into a large bowl. "He seems in a chipper mood."

"Nah, he's fine." Rumald said stacking the apples on top of the oranges in the bottom of the fruit bowl. "We've had plenty of time to chat this morning and sort out going to the cabin this weekend and other things."

"Other things?" Belle questioned leaning back against the counter and crossed her arms in front of her.

He glanced up towards the opening to the entrance hall and then to Belle slightly behind him, before he shuffled over to her, lowering his voice as he said. "He was telling me, he feels I don't have time for him anymore."

"You've had a lot of things happening with your businesses." Belle said, mimicking his quieter tone.

"Yes, he understands that." Rumald said as he nodded his head at her. "He's used to me being busy. He's not used to sharing me."

"Sharing me?" She was questioning him, when it dawned on her and her mouth formed an O shape, uttering. "Oh!"

Rumald edged closer to her. "It's not just me. It's you too." He said bracing a smile at her. "He just wants to spend some more individual time with each of us like we did before. Instead of it being the three of us all the time."

"Oh…" She muttered again, feeling overwhelmed.

"What?" Rumald asked, frowning at her response.

"Nothing." Belle forced a smile to reassure him. "Just when you said sharing you, I thought you were about to tell me the stereotypical I'm robbing you from him. Not that he kinda feels we're robbing each other from him."

He smiled taking hold of her arms to unfold them and placed them over his shoulders, and took advantage of the access he gained to her by stepping forward into her, his body pressed her into the counter as he told. "Belle, you don't just mean the world to me. You mean the world to my son. You've been more of a mother to him than Milah ever has been. So, no, it does not surprise me that he feels a little left out."

"You can't say that. She's still his mother." She told him, while being really touched by his statement.

"When it suits her." He grumbled.

Belle shook her head at him. "Let's not start about her."

"I'm not." Rumald held up his hands and stepped back, causing her hands to slide down his chest. "Not starting anything. All happy thoughts here."

"Good." She smiled at him and reached to click the kettle back on to boil.

"Wait a sec…ond…" His voice trailed off as he looked at her.

"What?" Belle asked scrunching her eyebrows together at him, watching as his hand came up to point one of his fingers at her.

His eyes squinted and his brow pushed up his forehead, as Rumald asked. "Is that my shirt?"

"Oh, well… Yes!" She said smugly pulling at the tails of the shirt to taut the material, unintentionally emphasising her breasts, and released the tension.

Rumald's forehead eased whilst he grew closer to her, the finger he pointed at her hooked at the parting in the shirt, tenting the material away from her body. "This is a three hundred and sixty dollar shirt."

"Really?" Belle gazed down at the shirt astonished by the price tag of his shirt.

"It's Gucci." He informed her, peeping pass the shirt to see the tops of her breasts.

"Gucci!" She exclaimed shooting her eyes up from his shirt to meet his eyes, perfectly timed so she missed him ogling her.

"Yes, Gucci." He confirmed.

Belle squeezed her lips together and shrugged her shoulders at him, exaggerating her movement to him. "Gucci, mucci." She told him. "It's very comfortable."

A cheeky grin spread his lips as he leant onto the counter behind her, bringing their faces level, whilst he still kept his finger hooked in his shirt, pulling the shirt away from her. "I bet it is." He agreed with her and let his gaze fall, blatantly looking at her breasts. "But if you don't mind me saying, Miss French, you do look rather sexy in my expensive, Gucci shirt."

"You need to behave." She told him, unhooking his finger from the shirt, and spun to grab a cup for Rumald to make him coffee, while she removed her old tea bag from her cup. Her hair was combed to one side before Rumald's hot lips kissed at the nape of her neck. All her movement ceased, unable to trust herself, as he teased her by trailing the tip of his tongue up her neck and kissed at the spot the path ended.

Rumald's warm breath washed over her ear, as he whispered. "I think you'll have to teach me a lesson, since I'm misbehaving."

Twisting her neck to see him over her shoulder, Belle was about to respond when Albert called out to them. "Time out!"

Rumald jolted back away from Belle, angling himself so they both could see Albert. They watched Albert open and close the fridge, getting himself a can of coke from the fridge, and turned on his heels to leave the room again. He stopped in the opening and looked at them.

"Okay, I'm going upstairs again." Albert told them and pointed his finger at them. "Remember, Emma is due round soon. So no funny business."

With that said, Albert left again, leaving Belle to break out into a fit of giggles, falling back to lean against Rumald behind her. He held onto her, steadying her, while he wore a perplex look on his face. The look on Rumald's face made Belle's fit of giggles worse. She clung one hand onto his arm around her waist and one onto the counter's edge, desperately trying to breathe between giggles.

"That's one way to ruin a moment, I suppose." Rumald grumbled behind her.


	75. Chapter 75

The drive to Gladius's did not take long with Rumald driving, pausing momentarily at the tall cast iron gates to use the remote to open them, and pulled up at the front of the mansion. Albert and Emma were instantly out of the back of the car and headed into the mansion, hand in hand. While Belle fed her feet into her heels, slipping them, Rumald climbed out of the car and closed the door behind him. Picking a piece of lint off her skirt, Belle reached for the latch of the door and was surprised when the door suddenly opened, letting the cold air gush into the warmth of the car. A chill ran up her body from her leg as Rumald offered his hand to her, smiling welcomingly at her whilst he stooped to see her inside the car. She smiled taking hold of his hand and climbed out of the car with him aiding her.

Rumald closed her door for her and wrapped her smaller hand around his arm, protectively covering her hand with his, whilst they walked the short distance to the mansion. Her eyes scanned over the front of the building, still in awed of the magnificent architecture of the mansion. The Johnson family fortune had paid for the mansion to be built over forty years ago. The family fishing business and the mansion had been handed down to Milah's father, Walter, when his own father had passed on. Their fortune, so Rumald had told Belle, had been a reasonable size at the time, but nothing compared to the fortune Gladius had procured since Walter inherited the business. Gladius had more than ran the business and invested into others from Walter's shadow, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

Weighing her weight heavily onto Rumald, they climbed the stairs together and entered with Rumald holding the door open for her again. He followed her into the mansion, pulling the door close behind him, with his hand leisurely touching her side above her hip. The foyer was warm and filled with the gorgeous smell of the large flower arrangement that sat on the table in the centre of the foyer. Belle stepped over to the mixture of flowers and smelt a purple Colchicine, which had caught her eye. Leaning back, she took in the sight of the flower arrangement vaguely aware Rumald's hand had left her, still feeling his ghostly hand on her side, whilst his shoes clicked on the polished wooden floor.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Gladius." Rumald said somewhere behind her. Belle twisted to see Gladius hug Rumald, stroking her fingers lovingly down the back of his short greying hair. Taking another quick whiff of the flower, memories of days spent with her father in flower shop haunted her, as she turned around in time to meet Gladius open arms and hugged the older woman.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Gladius." Belle said in a quieter voice, enjoying the motherly hug Gladius shared with her. It reminded her of how much she missed own her mother, sharing one last hug in a private hospital room, crying into her mother's shoulder as Collette had shushed away Belle's fears and worries.

Gladius leaned back from Belle and clasped Belle's face between her hands. "I'm so thankful for you, dear."

"Me?" Belle asked with her eyes fleeting to Rumald and back to Gladius.

"For ten years, I've been trying to get this… idiot," Gladius indicated Rumald with a nod in his direction. "To come to family occasions. This year, I didn't even have to beg him. He simply said yes!" She confessed to Belle, slightly bouncing from one foot to the other.

Rumald rolled his eyes and stalked off to the adjoining sitting room, saying over his shoulder. "Better company this year."

"Thank you, Belle." Gladius said more seriously, genuinely smiling at Belle. Her eyebrows were posed up her forehead while she quirked a smile at Gladius, feeling uncomfortable with the credit Gladius was bestowing upon her. Belle knew Rumald had started opening himself up more to being social, but to say it was all of her doing, she could not.

Belle clutched at Gladius's elbow and guided the older woman to follow Rumald, wanting to catch up with him without being rude to their host, asking. "Any news on Milah?"

"You can ask her yourself, if you really want, dear." Gladius said as they neared the opening to the sitting room. "She's already here."

"I didn't realise you'd invited her." Belle stated lowering her voice, tugging Gladius to a halt.

Gladius leaned in closer to Belle. "I didn't." The older woman peered into the sitting room. "She just turned up with Killian about twenty minutes ago."

"She's still got that restraining order against Rumald." Belle said in a hushed voice to Gladius, not wanting to alert the occupants of the sitting room.

"I know." Gladius said matching Belle's tone. Following Gladius's gaze into the sitting room, Belle spotted Milah lounging on a couch all to herself, a leg laid out across the sit beside her as she drank from her glass. Milah was smiling at someone and begun to talk to whoever it was, lowering her glass down to rest on top of her knee. It had been a while since Belle had last seen Rumald's ex-wife and was slightly shocked to see how big the other woman had gotten. Her eyes widened at the sight of Milah, knowing she was right when she had told Ruby that Milah would be due any day now. Hopefully not tonight, Belle thought to herself, letting go of Gladius's arm to wander into the sitting room.

As she entered the sitting room, her eyes scanned the room seeing Albert and Emma sat on one of the couches, holding each other's hand as Emma talked to Milah. When her gaze met with Killian, he gave her a lopsided smile and a weak salute, from where he was perched on the arm of the couch that Milah was gracing with her presence. She returned his smile, quickly moving her gaze to find Rumald. Her brow pushed down over her eyes as she finished scanning the room, unable to see him anywhere in the room.

Roaming her eyes back over the room, Belle walked into the room, removing her coat from her shoulders to lay over the back of an empty armchair. She bent forward over the armchair, easily supporting her weight down onto the chair, whilst she looked through into the dining room. A sigh escaped her, when she saw Rumald bracing himself against the doorframe of the glass patio doors, his phone held to his ear while he viewed the scenery of the garden outside. Slowly a smile crept over her lips, gradually pulling back her cheeks, as she remarked to herself how handsome he looked. He was dressed in his usual black three-piece suit, wearing the overcoat that accompanied the suit, with a dark turquoise shirt and a light turquoise tie for contrast. If she had her phone with her, she would have snapped a picture of him, wanting to capture the sight of her Rumald to keep forever.

"Belle," Gladius said from beside Belle, touching Belle's back. "Would you like a drink?"

"Erm… A drink." Belle mumbled more to herself, her thoughts too wrapped around Rumald to form full sentences.

Gladius chuckled. "What would you like to drink?"

"Oh, no." Belle said shaking her head and laid her hand on Gladius's arm. "I'll get it. Don't worry about me."

"Okay." The older woman said with a knowing smirk.

Glancing from Gladius to Rumald and back again, Belle smiled briefly at Gladius and headed to the drinks trolley, which had been set up near Milah. Her eyes were still on Rumald until the wall blocked her view of him. She breathed out heavily, a small groan of disappointment accompanied her breath, whilst she stopped by the trolley and eyed over the selection of drinks on offer. Belle picked up a bottle of rum and unscrewed the lid to pour a healthy amount into a glass. She returned the bottle to the trolley and leant back to see an ice bucket containing cans of coke were on the bottom shelf. Bending over Belle picked out one of the cans of coke and halted with the can hovering over the bucket of cokes, smiling at his hand finding its usual spot on her lower back. Titling her head to the side, Belle's smile broadened seeing him stood next to her and straightened her back, coming almost eye level with him with the heels she was wearing.

Rumald grinned and leant into her, his words tickled her ear. "I rather enjoyed seeing you bent over like that."

While he leaned back to see her, Belle's eyes flittered shut for a second and opened them again to see him, perking an eyebrow at him. "Play your cards right, Mr Gold, and you might see more of that."

A hungry look swept over his face as he leaned into her again keeping his voice low, so only she could hear him. "I don't need to play my cards right, Miss French. Not when the deck is in my favour."

"We'll see." She told him and pulled the ring on her can, releasing a loud hiss from the car. They smirked at each other for a second. Belle was the first to look away, concentrating on pouring her coke into her glass, while Rumald stepped closer to her to press a kiss to her temple.

"Dad." Albert called from the other side of the room.

Rumald stayed close to Belle, turning his head to look at Albert. "Yes?"

"Can you throw me and Em a coke each, please?" Albert asked letting go of Emma's hand and held his hands up together, ready to catch a can. Without replying to the question, Rumald bent his knee lowering himself down to access the bucket of cans. Belle's hands shook un-expectantly and quickly stopped pouring, and glared down at Rumald. He titled his head up to see her, palming two cans in his one hand, and stood up agonisingly slow. His body slid against hers, while his nails dragged up the back of her leg and then smoothed over her dress, when his fingers met the hem of her dress.

"You're evil." Belle whispered, glaring at him from the corner of her eye.

He lingered briefly to whisper. "I can be eviller."

Her head snatched in his direction, raising her eyebrows at him, as he retracted his hand from her back and sauntered through the furniture to hand the cans over to Albert. She shook her head and grinned returning to pouring her drink, watching from hooded eyes as Rumald shrugged off his overcoat. He lapped round the back of the chairs and laid his overcoat on top of hers. His fingers stroked over the material of her coat underneath his, lovingly gazing at it.

"I heard Mr Hyde was in town last night." Milah stated above the current conversation, hushing the flow of the conversation. Everyone seated glanced to Milah and then to Rumald, following the direction of Milah's eyes.

Belle put down the empty can and raised her glass of rum and coke to her lips, taking a hearty sip from it. The silence was deafening as the two of them looked at each other across the room. Milah drank from her drink, her eyes fixed on Rumald over the top of her glass, looking at him as though she knew a secret of his that no one else knew.

"Yes," The smile Rumald showed to Milah, was not the sweet smile he wore for Belle, it was eerily dark. "He was in town."

Milah rested her glass down, resting the base of the glass on her knee. "I bet he's as handsome as he was the last time I saw him."

"I couldn't comment, dearie. He's not my type." Rumald said to her, crooking a corner of his lip into a grin.

"No, you just fucked his money out of him." She stated coldly, stroking her hand over her large belly.

"Milah, love, can we not just have one nice evening?" Killian queried, inclining himself towards her from his perch on the arm of the chair.

Rumald clasped the back of the armchair, his fingers dug into the material at the corners of the chair. "I don't remember you ever complaining about it."

"Belle," Gladius called gaining Belle's attention. "Have you seen my library?"

"Why would I?" Milah asked Rumald, the pair of them seemingly unaware of the other occupants of the room. "Not how you got when you've completed a deal. Much more fiery in bed."

"No… I haven't." Belle commented, while her sentence wavered thinking over what Milah had said.

"Rumald," Gladius raised her voice to gain Rumald's attention, but he showed no outward sign that he had heard her. "Take Belle and show her the library."

He stayed still. His knuckles white as his fingers dug deeper into the material of the chair. Belle decided to act upon Gladius's suggestion and swiftly went to Rumald's side. She could feel the stiffness of his muscles before she even laid a hand on his upper arm, his bicep taught with tension. Looking up to his face, his eyes were barely visible, squinting a glare at Milah as his ex-wife gave him a sickly smile, knowingly toying with him.

"Rumald." Belle said quietly to him, squeezing his arm. His head snapped in her direction whilst he kept his eyes on Milah.

She stepped closer to him, pulling at his arm to turn him to face her. "Please."

"'Kay." He muttered and finally looked at her. The muscle in his arm eased under her fingers. Rumald scowled back at Milah, while he peeled Belle's fingers from his arm and exchanged her hand between his hands, and hooked her hand around his arm. He led the way out of the sitting room into the foyer and clasped his hand over her hand, his head hung shamefully, leading her through the foyer into the opposite sitting room. Belle observed his face, seeing the tight lines on his forehead and the crow's feet disappear the further they got from Milah.

They entered a corridor and traipsed quite a while down it, passing several pieces of art that littered the hallway. Most of them were exquisite pieces of art with others being family portraits of the family over the years. She held onto him, trusting him, and drank from her drink, her eyes darting from painting to painting. The contrast from landscape to portrait caused a bemused look to grow on Belle's face. They turned a corner in the corridor and the painting became just portraits, the timeline of the family quickly approaching present day. She recognised a portrait of Gladius and her husband, Walter. Recognising Gladius and Walter from pictures, she had seen of them in the sitting room Gladius favoured.

Rumald pulled to a halt outside two wooden doors and grabbed the doorknob, while the portrait a couple of steps away caught Belle's attention. He twisted the knob and shoved the door open, taking a step inside, as the doorway grew wider. Her hand fell from his arm, leaving him to step over to the portrait.

There were three figures in the portrait. A woman sat in a chair, her hand resting upon the hand of the man standing slightly behind her, whose hand was on her shoulder. A young boy stood in front of the man, held in place by a restraining hand on his shoulder. from the man stood behind him. The artist had painted the man perfectly, managing to capture the soulfulness of the man's eyes in the painting. She titled her head, studying the shoulder length hair, his trademark three-piece suit and the gold ring he wore on his left hand, peeking out from underneath the woman's hand.

"I hate that painting." Rumald confessed. She jumped at his voice, forgetting he was there with her, losing herself into the painting.

"It's a memory." Belle commented and sipped from her drink, turning to face him. "We wouldn't be where we are, if that hadn't happened."

He pressed his lips together into a thin line and then angled his head to look at her. "I'm sorry for what she said. I don't want you having to listen to her."

"Rumald, I haven't even given what she said a second thought." She told him honestly, soothing her hand down his arm.

"She…" His head dropped in disgrace. "She brings the worse out in me."

Belle smiled and moved her hand from his arm to stoke the back of her fingers down his cheek. "And what do I do?"

"You?" Rumald asked lifting his head to look at her.

"Yes, me." She cupped his cheek and caressed her thumb over his smooth cheek.

"Not a lot." He shrugged his shoulders at her and whirled round on his heels, hastily escaping through the open doorway to the library, barely missing the swipe of her hand through the air at him.

Belle gave chase and halted in the doorway, ambushed as he captured her, his hands planted to her cheeks while he kissed her sensually. Her body melted, her knees threatened to buckle, pooling her to the floor, whilst his lips moulded to her owns. He guided her to sidestep while he held her face, unrelenting his kiss, and shuffled her backwards to incline her against the closed door. The wood of the door pressed heavily against her back, restricting her, forcing her to succumb to Rumald's advances, sighing contently into his mouth.

Rumald ripped his lips away from her, her own lips advanced after his, eager to continue, as he said. "You make me want to go back." He panted heavily, washing her face with his hot breathe. "Go back to the best version of me."

"I'd rather have the version in front of me." Belle said to him and reached up between his arms to touch his face.

"You're only saying that, because you didn't know me back then." He informed her, closing his eyes to her touch.

"I love you just the way you are." She insisted and rested her forehead against his. "I don't want you any other way."

His eyelids squeezed, her words hitting him deep. "I love you."

Breathing heavily out through her nose, Belle brought her other arm up to wrap round his neck, careful not to spill her drink. Her movement caused his hands to fall from her face, allowing her to draw him against her body, hugging him tightly. He buried his face into her neck and grabbed at the back of her top, crushing her into his chest. They stood unmoving, hugging the life out of each other, forgetting about why they were at the mansion and rest of the family, who were still probably chatting in the sitting room.

"Awe… How sweet?" The unwelcome voice commented from the doorway. Inwardly, Belle groaned at Milah interrupted them and let her arms go limp from around his neck. She missed the warmth of his breath on her neck after he lifted his head, looking up to see Milah waddle through the doorway into the library. Their eyes watched Milah, her hand supporting her lower back, as she toddled into the library, her gaze floating around the endless shelves of books.

"Can I never get any peace from you?" Rumald asked pivoting on his one foot to face Milah. His body remained between them, shielding Belle from Milah.

There was a crooked smile on Milah's face, as she angled her head to see Rumald over her shoulder. "Maybe you should ask yourself, whether you want me to give you any peace? You're the one who rises to the occasion." Her eyes roamed down to Rumald's groin. "In more ways than one."

"Oh for crying…" He grumbled turning back to face Belle. "Come on. I'll show you the library another time."

"No, you go ahead." Belle told him, her eyes focused on Milah, stroking her hand proudly over her enormous bump.

"Belle, come on." Rumald grasped her arm and tried to turn her, guiding her to the open doorway.

His movement stilled when Belle's hand rested onto his chest. "Here." She forced her half-drunk drink into his hand. "Go and refill that, and I'll be right there."

"Belle, please." He begged in a hushed tone.

"Run along, Rumald." Milah instructed and Rumald's head snapped to see her over his shoulder. "I believe your fiancée wants a word."

Slowly Rumald's head turned back to look at Belle, the plead in his eyes was obvious, along with his fingers squeezing tightly at her elbow. "Belle…"

"It's okay." Belle smiled encouragingly at him. "Right behind you, I swear." He breathed in deeply, puffing out his chest, and slowly let the long breath out, his eyes fierce with worry. Bowing his head, he shook his head and did as he was asked and left the room. His shoes clicked on the wooden floor, sounding more distant by the second.

Sure, he was out of ear shot, Belle pushed herself away from the door and circled Milah, keeping a distance from the pregnant woman, remembering how quick Milah was to slap from their last confrontation. The gentle caress of her stomach was unrelenting, a proud mother, with a sickening glee on her face as Milah's eyes watched Belle. Swiping a loose strain of hair behind her ear, Belle came to stand behind an armchair and laid her hand on the back of the chair.

"Why can't you just leave him alone?" Belle asked, not pointing the question or her gaze at Milah.

"It's none of your business." Milah replied and wobbled closer to Belle, her hand rubbing circles over her stomach.

A tension ran through her shoulders and down to her hands, forming her hands into fists, as she remembered the last time Milah had told her it was none of her business. "It is my business. Especially when it comes to Rumald."

"You might be in his life at the moment, but I guarantee, once he starts going on about his sob story, you'll be bored with him." Milah said standing in front of a bookcase, tracing her finger along the spines of the books. A chuckle escaped Belle. She did not mean to chuckle, but could not stop herself, especially when Milah pulled a face at her and observed her trying to smother her amusement with her hand.

"What's so funny?" Milah enquired, one of her eyebrows rose quizzically at Belle.

Belle shook her head and dropped her hand from her mouth. "He doesn't even realise how strong he is and how pathetic you are."

"Excuse me?" Milah sounded shocked.

"You call his childhood a 'sob story'," Belle ran her hand over the smooth material of the chair. "I call it the beginning of a great man."

Her words made Milah frown. "Can I just check? We are talking about Rumald? The definition of weak and pathetic?"

She smiled hearing Milah's opinion of him. "You will never comprehend how strong he can be, because you're so wrapped up in your own needs. That's why you miss out on how special Rumald and Bae are."

"Why the hell do people keep calling him Bae?" Milah groaned and swatted her hand against the books in front of her.

"Because he likes it." Belle told her, bracing her weight across the back of the chair with her forearm. "And hates being called Albert."

"It's his name!" Milah stated matter-of-factly to Belle.

Another chuckle ignited in Belle, whilst she swivelled round to head to the open doorway. "And that's where I'm so glad, that you don't know them as well as you think. You're the pathetic one. You're the weak one." She halted in the doorway and looked at Milah. "You're the one who left. Not him. He's been through enough for probably two lifetimes. Leave him alone."

"Why?" Milah pushed. "What are you going to do, if I don't?"

"Nothing." She said coolly.

It was Milah's turn to laugh. "Thought so."

Belle waved her hand back and forth, interrupting Milah's moment of glee. "Not because I wouldn't or can't." She paused and Milah cocked her head to the side, her eyebrows raised up her forehead. "It's because you're not worth it, dearie."

A smirk quickly pulled at the corners of Belle's lips and she was gone through the doorway, leaving Milah alone in the library. She bit at her lower lip, happy with herself, passing by the paintings without a second thought. Distantly behind her, she could hear footsteps, but she strode on and ignored the comments that whispered down the corridor, chasing her as she turned the corner in corridor.

Entering the sitting room from the foyer, Belle smiled coming to stand next to Rumald and took the offered drink from him. Greedily she slurped from it and coyly looked round to see Milah enter the room, a distant look on her face, and went straight to Killian, who was chatting to Albert. A satisfaction came over her, noticing how Milah avoided looking in their direction.

"You okay?" Rumald quietly asked, drawing Belle's attention away from Milah.

"Never better." Belle told him and took another mouthful of her drink.

He edged closer to her, his nose tickled the edge of her ear. "I was ready to slap her into the next century, if she'd touched you."

A bemused look came over Belle's face, as she titled her head to see him. "I do love it, when you get all protective."

Rumald straightened himself, his eyes peering at her beside him. "No one gets to touch you apart from me."

"What sort of touching are we talking about?" She asked with the glass held up to her lips, ready to take another sip from it. A grin that probably mirrored her own, pushed his cheeks back and parted his lips slightly, allowing his gold tooth to glint at her.

She allowed her eyes to roam over the room and drank from her rum and coke, enjoying the satisfaction of seeing Milah unsettled. The idea of upsetting another person had never appealed to her, but now she understood the joy she had seen when Rumald had jibbed at Killian, taunting him with Milah's infidelity. A strong sense of power made her stand up straight, smirking at the sheepish glance Milah sent in their direction.


	76. Chapter 76

(This chapter is M rated).

She played with the stem of the wine glass between her thumb and forefinger. After a pleasant dinner at Gladius, with no more comments from Milah, they had dropped Albert and Emma off at Emma's house, watching the two of them practically prance their way up to the front door. Belle had smiled at the sight of them. They were yet to know the troubles that came with an adult relationship and she hoped they would not for a long time. They were too cute together to trouble with the turmoil that came from insecurities and others meddling where they should not.

Picking up her glass by pinching the stem of the glass she brought the glass to her lips, sipping at the sweet white wine she had poured herself, when they had returned home. She closed her eyes enjoying the fruity taste of the wine, savouring the cool liquid in her mouth before swallowing it. The power she had felt after her little chat with Milah had not left her all evening and had only multiplied at the dining table, as Milah had kept the conversation minimal and courtesy. She had lost count of the questioning looks Gladius and Rumald had given her at the dining table. The amicable atmosphere was a nice change from the last time the family had met for a family dinner, which had ended with Milah ruining Albert's birthday.

Belle still could not put her finger on the change in Milah. Maybe the fact someone had pointed out the obvious to her, telling Milah the brutal truth, must have given her some food for thought. But she was not naïve and doubted it would last long. Milah would soon enough to be back to her meddling and toying with Rumald. Belle just wished she could understand why Milah felt she had the right to torment him. Like she had said, Milah had been the one to leave, not Rumald. If anyone should instigate the bickering and snide comments, it should have been Rumald. Though, yes, he had his moments. However, most of the time he kept to himself, when they had to both attend family functions. Whatever Milah's reason for taunting Rumald, Belle suspected she would never find out.

The glass chinked against the wooden table top, as Belle placed her glass onto the table and licked the remnants of her wine from her lips. Hearing Rumald sigh, her eyes casted up from her glass of her wine and found him standing in the opening to the entrance hall, pulling his tie from its knot.

"I don't know what you said," Rumald said pulling his tie from his shirt collar. "But thank you."

"Thank you?" Belle questioned, twirling her glass between her fingers.

He stepped into the kitchen, unbuttoning his waistcoat, his tie dangling from his fingers. "It was just nice to be able to sit down and have dinner, without comments being thrown across the table."

"I didn't really say anything to her." She told him smiling up at him, on the other side of the breakfast table.

"Well… you must have said something that touched a nerve." Rumald commented as he unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt.

Belle lifted her glass and swirled the contents around inside the glass. "I doubt anything would ever touch a nerve in Milah. She's too self-absorb for anything to get under her skin."

Downing the last of her wine, she placed the glass of wine onto the table and grabbed the bottle to pour herself another drink. Belle claimed her glass of wine again and sipped some more of its fruity freshness. As she drank from her glass, she caught sight of an amused look on Rumald's face. Her eyebrow raised at the look he was giving her, whilst she lowered her glass slowly back onto the table, turning her gaze to him. Gradually Rumald was rolling up his tie. One of the corners of his lip was turned up whilst he took in the sight of her.

"What?" She blurted out, placing her glass down on the table.

Shaking his head, Rumald said with a smile. "Nothing."

At the same time, Rumald put his rolled tie down, Belle asked him. "No, what?"

"It's just…" He mulled over his words and placed his hands on the backs of the chairs, either side of him. "You seem... Empowered."

A slow smile came over her lips. "A little."

Rumald chuckled and Belle scrunched her brow at him. "Welcome to the dark side, dearie."

Something about his jest did not sit well with Belle. An annoying niggle tickled her from the back of her mind. She had always seen life as black and white, there were good and bad people in the world. Never a grey between the two. Life with Rumald had shown her that as much as you could categorise someone as being good or evil. You would never truly know the true intent of someone until you really knew them.

To the outsiders, Rumald was evil landlord and pawnbroker, who lorded over everyone, collecting rent and holding people to their agreements no matter what. Just as she had thought the worse of him when she met him, tarnishing him with the same brush she painted all the other landlords in over the years. However, seeing him with Albert, seeing the lighter side of him that no one else has seen. She got to know the kind, compassionate man, who secretly was crying out for the love of others, but held himself back in fear he would be rejected as he had been on so many occasions.

Her eyes widened as Belle thought about all the landlords and debt collectors, she had thought the worse of over the years. All of them were only ever doing their jobs, whether it was a respectable or not. Where her father's job was to provide and care for her, both roles he had failed miserably. She let out a long sigh, thinking how her younger self would have said they were the bad people. They were the ones that made them leave. They were the ones that came and took their things, her things, her mother's things. Never did she truly blame her father. Not with her black and white outlook on the world.

With the memory of meeting Rumald at the forefront of her mind, Belle wondered what people's impression of her was. She surmised taking another sip of her wine, people must have thought of her as the kind, young woman who ran the library. The woman who managed to warm the heart of the town beast, taming the wicked ways of Mr Gold.

"Sweetheart?" His fingers squeezed her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry." Belle replied quickly and drank from her glass of wine, taking the time to dispel her thoughts.

He shook his head and breathed short and heavily through his nose. "I asked, if you wanted to do anything tomorrow."

"Lazing in bed would be nice." She said slipping her hand pass him to stroke the back of his thigh, travelling up to the curve of his rear.

"I think if we did that, I wouldn't have the strength to drag myself out of bed, when it came time to leave for the cabin." He told her plucking up her glass of wine from the table and drank from it.

Belle rolled her eyes at him whilst smirking at the truth of it, as she said. "Did you call Jefferson and tell him you weren't going to the game?"

He nodded his head placing her glass back down on the table. "I did. He wasn't happy about it."

"It's only a poker game." She said flippantly, whilst she topped up her glass. "I'm sure they'll be more games."

"Yes, they'll be more games." Rumald left her for a second to go into the kitchen and came back with a wine glass. "But," She gazed up at him, as he poured some wine into his glass. "None of them have the arrangement, I have, with Jeff."

"What arrangement?" Belle asked him, watching him miss the chair beside her to take the chair opposite her at the table.

A cheeky smile tugged at the corner of Rumald's lips, as he settled back into the chair. "If I take everyone's money at the table, he gets twenty percent of my winnings."

"Hmm…." She murmured, disapproving, and picked up her glass to drink from it.

"Hey." Belle looked at him over the rim of her glass, whilst she gulped another mouthful of wine. "I know you don't like me gambling." He said to her with a sad smile. "And I do appreciate that you don't moan at me about it."

She shrugged her shoulders at him, carefully putting her glass down on the table, as she said. "It's not my place to tell you what to do, whether I like something you do or not."

"Didn't stop you Monday night." He said smugly and drank from his wine.

"What?" Belle asked, creasing her brow in thought. Rumald chuckled and held his hand up to his mouth, visibly struggling to swallow his mouthful of wine. She laughed at him, watching him as he coughed and chuckled into the back of his hand.

"You okay?" She asked, taking a deep breath to stem her laughter.

His face was red, managing to croak. "Yes."

"Monday night?" Belle questioned him. Her eyebrows pushed her brow up her forehead, waiting expectantly for him to enlighten her.

"Nothing. Doesn't matter." He said holding his hand over his chest, taking deep breaths. She leant forward onto the table with her elbows and observed him on the other side, soothing a pain he felt in his chest by rubbing his fingers over it. Instinctively her lower lip sucked into her mouth, worrying it with her teeth, as she grew jealous of his fingers dipping under his shirt to touch the bare skin of his chest.

Releasing her lip, Belle picked up her glass of wine, while she asked. "Bae staying at Emma's tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm picking him up from there tomorrow." He said scrunching his face at the pain.

"Hey, I've got an idea." She rose from her chair and knocked back the last of her wine, stepping out from the table. "Why don't you go and light the fire in the living room, open another bottle of wine, and we can relax in front of the fire?"

Rumald's brow drew down over his eyes, as he titled his head to see Belle above him. "Okay… I can do that."

"I'm going upstairs to change." Belle told him, stroking her fingers lightly along his jawline. His Adam's apple bobbed and his brow lifted from over his eyes. Grinning she walked by him, allowing her hand to trail over his shoulder, leaving him to watch her leave the kitchen. A bounce in her step, she made short work of climbing the stairs in her bare feet and padded into their bedroom.

A shiver ran through her body and straight between her legs, excited by the thought of Rumald, as she yanked open her nightwear draw. With the draw open in front of her, she scanned over the options, while she reached behind herself to unzip her skirt. She had no care for her skirt, letting it fall to the floor and kicked it to one side. Shifting some of the nighties to one side, she became disappointed with her options and slammed the draw shut.

Looking for inspiration, Belle scanned the room trying to think what she could wear. Her eyes roamed back round to the chair, where she had draped Rumald's shirt she had worn earlier in day. Unbuttoning her blouse, she crossed the small distance to the chair and exchanged her blouse for his shirt, shrugging it onto her shoulders as she left their bedroom. She buttoned it from the bottom up and stopped when she reached her breasts, undecided between stopping below or above. Her lips curved into a grin, wondering if Rumald would notice the delicate material of her bra, peeping out from behind his shirt. Her decision was made and stopped at the button below her breasts.

Belle happily descended the stairs, bouncing down each step, and could hear the crackle of the fire from the living room. Nearing the bottom of the stairs, her decent halted noticing Rumald had turned off all the lights, plunging the downstairs into dark shadows. The firelight flickered out over the living room, chasing the shadows around the room.

Steadily she stepped down the last couple of steps and treaded to the opening to the living room. Lovingly she smiled, seeing Rumald lighting a candle and then the one beside it on the mantelpiece. He had littered the coffee table with similar sized candles, already lit waiting for her. Her fingers toyed with one of the flaps of his shirt as she ambled into the living room, watching as Rumald threw the lit match into the flames of the fire. His gaze was focus on the fire, his body slanted towards the fireplace with a hand bracing his weight onto the mantel.

He did not show any signs of hearing her or acknowledge her presence, as he gazed down into the fire, watching the hypnotic dance of the flames. Creeping by the coffee table, Belle came up behind him and slid her hands over his sides, lashing her arms across his chest. Her touch provoked Rumald to stand up straight and take a deep breathe, whilst she moulded herself against his back.

"Hi." She whispered up to him.

Crooking his head to see her over his shoulder, he rubbed his hands over her arms to her hands and laced his fingers with hers. "Hi."

"Penny for you thoughts?" Belle asked, briefly tightening her hold around his chest.

"No thoughts for your penny, sorry." He said turning his head to gaze back to the fire, his body relaxed inside her arms. Content, Belle tiptoed up and kissed the back of his neck behind his ear. She pulled her arms from around him, turning to look down at the cushions Rumald had stacked onto the rug, in front of the other armchair. Crouching down onto her knees, Belle crawled to the cushions and twisted round to sit down in front of them, plumping the cushions into a comfortable position.

"Why do I get the feeling I've lost that shirt to you?" Rumald asked with his hands on his hips.

"Because, like you said, I look rather sexy in your Gucci shirt." Belle gave him a sly smile.

His eyebrows shrugged up his forehead, while his hands fell from his hips. "Guess I'll have to buy some more shirts, when I'm in New York next week."

"New York?" She queried, as Rumald lowered himself down to the rug and scooted in next to her, and lifted his arm to put around her shoulders.

"Best place to do Christmas shopping." He commented, whilst he reached pass her to hand her a glass of wine and collected one for himself.

Her eyebrows knitted together. "Why are you going to New York? You haven't mentioned it before."

"The phone call I got, when we were at Gladius's," Rumald started to say, pausing to take a sip of his wine. "It was a dealer I know in New York. Got some items I might be interested in."

"I thought you weren't going to work today." She nudged him, leaning her head back to rest on his arm, gazing at him as a smile crept over his face.

"I didn't call her. She called me." Rumald informed her and took another sip from his glass.

Belle snuggled closer to him. "Too bad you didn't arrange it for the week Bae isn't here. I could take the day off and come with you."

He kinked his head to look at her face, saying. "I can always rearrange it."

"Sure?" She asked him, her excitement was obvious by her voice changing pitch.

"Sure, I can." Rumald answered. "Anything for you, sweetheart."

Whilst she squealed with delight, Belle launched herself up and slung her leg over Rumald's legs, straddling his lap, and hugged him, forcing his face into the nape of her neck. He chuckled at his sudden surprise, holding his glass of wine away from them, so he did not spill it, and wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Belle sat back onto his lap, mindful of her glass of wine behind his head, as she said. "I've never been to New York."

"In that case," He said to her, placing his glass down onto the floor. "Why don't we make a weekend of it?"

"Really?" She questioned in disbelief, her eyes widened at the prospect of spending the weekend in New York.

Rumald's face softened, seeing the delight on Belle's face, and brushed the backs of his fingers down her cheek. "Really."

"Oh, I love you so much!" Belle proclaimed and slammed herself against his chest, holding her hand against the back of his head.

"It's only New York." He mumbled into her shoulder and stroked a hand down her back.

She forcefully shook her head at him and sat back onto his lap. "It's not just New York. Not to me!" Belle insisted. "I've wanted to go to New York since I was a little girl!"

He laughed combing a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Anywhere else you want to go?"

After drinking some of her wine, Belle put her glass down, saying. "I've always wanted to travel. You know, see the world." She breathed in, taking a second to think of the places she wanted to see. "There's so many places I'd love to visit. We never had the money to go aboard or even on holiday, if I'm honest."

"You've never had a holiday?" Rumald inquired, creasing his brow, disbelieving his ears.

"I've told you. We never had money for anything. My father is terrible with money." She reminded him smoothing her hand down the front of his unbuttoned waistcoat.

"Well, then." He said, while the lines over his forehead eased. "You ought to make a list of where you'd like to go. I'm sure we'll be able to go to a few of them on our honeymoon."

Belle titled her head to one side. "We need to get married first, which as yet, we haven't set a date for."

"Pick a date then." He told her, cupping his hands over her rear.

"Just like that?" She gave him a pointed look. "Pick a date?"

A sad look weighed down on his face, as Rumald said. "I didn't want to push you to set a date. So I've been waiting for you to bring it up."

"Rumald…" Belle's voice trailed off, as she cupped Rumald's face.

"If I had my way, we would be getting married before Christmas." He admitted to her.

She stroked her fingers through his hair, searching for a hidden reason in his eyes, as she asked. "Why have you got such an urgency about this?"

"Apart from Bae, there hasn't been much love in my life." Rumald sat forward, clutching his arms around Belle. "As you know, all anyone has ever done is take what they wanted from me and used me. But you…"He brought his arm up behind her and swept her hair back over her shoulder. "You don't ever want anything from me. All you ever try to do is be there for me, even though I know it's not easy at times."

Belle opened her mouth to talk, but Rumald interrupted her by talking again. "I rung my aunt Josey to see how she was doing." His gaze descended down from her face. "She was so pleased when I told her about you."

"She was?" Belle smiled.

"Yes." Rumald said with a smirk and lifted his head to meet her gaze. "She told me, if I was going to truly make you happy, I had to open my heart to you. I had to tell you I love you. No matter how scare I was of being hurt again. And that I deserved to be happy."

She stroked her thumb over Rumald's cheek. "Your aunt Josey sounds like she was a wise woman."

"Very." He said to her, a distant look in his eyes.

Pursing her lips into a thin line, Belle angled her head, studying his face. "What's wrong?"

"It's just sad to think, apart from my cousins, the only family I have left in this world, is Bae." The sadness in Rumald's voice stung her.

She pulled him closer and hugged him, cradling the back of his head as she rested her chin against his forehead. "And the family we'll make together."

A groan resonated from deep inside of Rumald, whilst his hands clasped at the back of her shirt, tightly constricting the material over her chest. "I love hearing you say that."

Bending her head enough to see his face, Belle kissed him sweetly on the forehead and awkwardly pressed her forehead down on top of his head. He leant back slightly and titled his face up to hers, their gazes met. In his eyes, she could see his need, a need for a physical connection. Happy to oblige his need, Belle lowered her lips to his and closed her eyes, tentatively kissing him. His hand slid up her back and into her hair, threading his fingers into her long locks. Their kiss became needier, their mouths forging together whilst their tongues dwelled.

Suddenly her head was snatched back by Rumald, yanking on her hair to lift her chin, giving him unrelenting access to the soft skin of her neck. He nibbled and licked her neck, and sucked hard enough on her skin to encourage a moan out of her. Grasping the shoulders of his waistcoat and his shirt into her fists, Belle held onto him, liking the painful pleasure he inflicted. She was barely aware of his other hand, splaying out over her back as he slid it down to her rear. When Rumald dug his fingers into her butt cheek, she shriek, more in surprise than pleasure, making her shift forward on his lap, unintentionally grinding herself against him.

"Oh, god!" He groaned into her neck, restraining her against his chest, and kissed his way down from her neck to the skin exposed between the shirt flaps. Her head lulled further back when Rumald buried his face between the partings of the shirt and trailed his tongue up the valley of her breasts.

Belle started to rock back and forth on his lap, aroused by feeling him twitch beneath her and the hand he held firmly on her butt, restricting the movement of her hips. The pull on her hair eased and Rumald leisurely trailed his hand down from her shoulder, over her breast, to the buttons of the shirt. He easily unbuttoned the shirt one handed, slowly revealing more of her bra and her flat stomach to him. With a flick of his hand, he shifted one flap of the shirt and cupped the revealed breast. His lips ghosted over her skin and kissed the top of her breast before he sucked the skin of her breast into his mouth. She threaded her fingers into his hair, firmly pressing at the back of his head, encouraging his minstrels. There was a loud pop sound, when Rumald pulled his mouth away from her breast and kissed the sore red mark he had created.

He lifted his head up to see Belle's face. Gradually Belle lowered her head down, allowing their eyes to meet. The corner of Rumald's mouth quirked up, showing Belle the smile he seemed to only reserve for her. She could not help but smile at him, feeling the shirt slide down her arms.

"You're so beautiful." Rumald told her, his eyes followed one of the shirtsleeves down her arm, removing the shirt from her arms.

Following his lead, Belle grabbed his waistcoat and stripped it from his shoulders, and pushed it down his arms. He pulled his arm out of the waistcoat and used his other arm in the waistcoat to fling it under the coffee table. Unhurried she unbuttoned the buttons of his shirt, grinding herself down onto him. She grinned watching him close his eyes and groan as she grounded herself against him again. Peeling his shirt from his shoulders, Belle leant over and kissed his shoulder, continuing her rocking motion, feeling him harden underneath her. He shook his shirtsleeves off his hands, leaving it to lie on the floor.

Rumald clasped at her hips, guiding her hips, urging her to grind down, increasing the tempo of her sway forwards and backwards. It hurt where his fingers pressed into her skin, imploring her to keep the pace. She wrapped her arms around his neck, supporting herself, burying her fingers into his short grey hair, whilst she kept moving over him, stimulating herself as much as she stimulate him.

"I love you." Belle whispered into his ear. As though it was possible, Rumald's fingers dug further into her skin whilst he let out a contented sigh, his warm breath washed down over her skin.

He pulled back enough to see her face and brought his hands up to seize her face, gently capturing her between his hands. "And I love you."

In an unsaid agreement, their lips joined, longingly kissing each other, as Rumald stroked his fingers up her back to the clasp of her bra and unhooked it, trailing the straps down her arms. He tore his lips away from her, their kiss leaving her breathless until Rumald sucked in the exposed bud of her nipple, forcing her to gasp. Firmly but gently, he cupped his hand under the breast, which belonged to the nipple he was teasing between his teeth. The pleasure she felt was nearly too much, threatening to become painful until Rumald eased off her nipple, licking and softly sucking her nipple before he manipulated her nipple between his teeth again.

Just as she considered touching her own breast, lonesome on its own without any stimulus, his fingers slowly traced a path over her breast and around her nipple, hardening to his touch, whilst he licked and sucked her other nipple. It made her grin, thinking how synchronize their thoughts were, how he knew what she wanted.

Gently Belle pushed her hand on Rumald's shoulder, persuading him to leave her breasts and lie back against the cushions, while she clambered up onto her feet. His eyes were full of lust, watching as she hooked her thumbs into the waist of her panties and slowly pushed them down, carefully stepping out of them, one leg at a time. Before Belle had chance to toss her panties to one side, Rumald shot forward, from where he was lounging, and wound an arm between her legs, clutching at her ass, as he titled his face up to her. She struggled to keep her balance, surprised and overwhelmed by Rumald's knowing tongue, licking at the hotness between her thighs.

With every lick and wave of pleasure, Belle's knees wanted to give way and fall into a mess at his feet. Her hips rocked against the sensation of his tongue, building the welcome tension of her release. She could feel it nearing, the edge ever so close. Her legs shook, needing the support of his hand on her rear, keeping her up and somewhat steady. Closing her eyes, Belle bit down onto her lower lip and grabbed a handful of Rumald's short hair, steadying herself over him, and forced him to stay exactly where he was, stroking her with his tongue.

"Rumald…" She panted out, struggling to think straight.

Belle lifted slightly onto her tiptoes, feeling a tentative finger push up into her, adding to the pleasure his tongue. Her body grew hotter, the inevitable of her orgasm grew closer as Rumald kissed, sucked, licked, at her sensitive bundle of nerves and slipped another finger into her, keeping his fingers in time to the natural rhythm of her body.

She could feel it. The build up. The tidal wave. It threatened to swamp her, but she held on, wanting it to last longer. Wanting it to never stop. Lavishing each lick. Each thrust of his fingers. But… It came. Her mind was blank, lost. She was barely aware of her loud moan, her head thrown back, crying up at the ceiling, her body shook above Rumald whilst he continued to pump his fingers into her, lengthening her high. Losing her strength, Belle's knees buckled. He sensed her knees giving out and removed his fingers from her, catching her before her knees hit the rug. Steadily Rumald lowered her into a sitting position; her knees bent either side of his legs as he hung onto her.

"Belle," he called to her, stroking some of her hair out of her face. "You okay?"

"Mmm." She moaned, slinging her arms around his neck, needing him to support her.

Rumald chuckled. "That good?"

"Mind blowing." She managed to mumble and felt him smile against her skin.

Hazily she moved with Rumald, clinging to his body, as he turned them over, laying her to rest into the cushions on the floor. Blinking her eyes and taking a deep breath, Belle observed Rumald undoing his belt and pants, and slid them down from his hips to his knees. She smiled up at Rumald, who returned her smile whilst he removed his pants and boxers, and tossed them out of the way.

There was no mistaking the carnal look on his face, his lust for her, as he crawled towards her, prowling his prey, and positioned himself between her legs. Belle latched her hand around the back of his head and guided his head down, wanting to taste herself on his lips. While they kissed, tongues duelling for dominance, Rumald lowered himself down onto her, covering her with his body, and guided himself into her. She let a small cry out into his mouth, feeling his firm member force her to stretch further as he sank into her. The muscles in his shoulders tensed under her hand and relaxed, when he had buried the length of him into her.

Dragging his lips away from her, Rumald's eyes followed the path of his hand sliding down her side and over her hip, and grasped at the back of her leg to lift it, positioning her leg to hook over his hip. He kissed her breast whilst he drew himself out of her and thrusted himself back inside of her. They groaned together, caressing their hands over each other, and moaned together at another thrust. She clawed her nails across his back, clenching her eyes shut as Rumald picked up the pace, driving them both towards ecstasy. Their hips were in harmony, increasing the pleasure of each thrust. The nearer they came to release, the more frantic their bodies moved as one.

She could feel the usual sensation of Rumald building towards his own release. Knowing he was not going to last much longer, Belle grinded herself purposefully against him, stimulating herself to come again. He groaned at the change and followed her lead, grinding his body into her. Her head fell back into the cushions, feeling a tension build deep inside of herself, pulsing every time Rumald grounded himself into her.

"Belle…" He groaned down at her chest and let go of her leg, supporting himself on his forearms either side of her body.

Hearing her name on his lips, the want, the need, Belle clenched a fistful of his hair into her hand. She could feel him hardening, pushing, thrusting, inside of her. Everything became about them and where they were joined, concentrating on thrusting up to meet his hips. A tension ran through Rumald's body, fighting to keep control. Belle slid her hand down his body and clutched at his rear, compelling him to continue.

"I… can't." Rumald muttered into her neck. The first pulse of warmth inside of her was enough for Belle to find her rapture, falling into the abyss with him as the movement of his hips became erratic, losing all sense of timing. They rode through their orgasms together, grabbing at each other, holding onto each other. Their hips slowed together until Rumald's energy drained from him and he stilled above her.

He panted down onto her shoulder, struggling to hold himself above her. "I can't… wait… 'til you're not… taking… the pill anymore."

She made an agreeable noise at him, wrapping her arms around him, holding him. Rumald shifted and carefully laid down onto her, keeping most of his weight on his arms, while he let her hold him. Happily, they laid together on the floor, warmed by each other and the fire. Belle found herself wishing it would never end. The blissful ignorance of the world outside, the only thing that mattered to either of them was each other.

Sighing contently into Rumald's hair, a frown crept over Belle's face, a niggle crawled its way to the forefront of her mind. A feeling… that something was not quite right.


	77. Chapter 77

Her lower lip was becoming sorer the more she grated it against her upper teeth, staring at the object in her hands. Her niggle from last night had not left her and had kept her half-awake. Belle had gone over everything from whether she had locked the library, had she filed the last order of requests, was there enough money in her account to pay her bills, or did she leave something in the oven? Each one she had been able to check off, by either remembering herself doing it or checking for herself by going downstairs to check the oven and checked the status of her bank on her phone. None of them were the niggle that dug its elbow into her ribs, waking her when she was about to fall into a deep slumber and left her wide-awake, listening to Rumald's light snore next to her.

Rumald called from downstairs, announcing breakfast was ready, over the top of the music he was playing. The music danced its way down the hallway and into her bedroom, drummed out by the beating she heard in her ears, her heart thumping ten to the dozen. Her head swung from side to side in disbelief. Never had she forgotten before. Ever. It was a religious act, done every morning. Shower, teeth, pill, dress. Always the same. Never changing. Shower, teeth, pill, dress. Like second nature, done subconsciously. Shower, teeth, pill, dress.

Belle closed her eyes and tightly squeezed the foil sleeve in her hand, as she tried to recall when her routine had been broken. A distant memory of waking up late for work came to mind, remembering the turmoil of a sleepless night and falling asleep, as the sun had crept through the gap in the curtains. The rush from Albert waking her with a shake of her shoulder, had set off on a sprint around their bedroom, throwing on anything that looked reasonable, skipping her bathroom routine, and ushered Albert into the car to drop him off at school. The fateful morning was three weeks ago. The week Rumald was in Scotland and where 'well I can't get pregnant, if he's in Scotland' became her excuse, as she forgot the following morning when she woke up late, sleeping through her alarm. The rush of him coming home also added to her forgetting her normal routine. Clinging to him in the morning, wanting to make up all the precious time they had missed whilst he had been in Scotland.

In thought, she contorted her lips and pressed her eyebrows down over her eyes, trying to figure out what to do with the sleeve of pills and with herself. The sleeve gleamed in the light at her. Her thoughts overpowered and weighed heavily on her shoulders, causing her to brace herself down onto the sink. The sleeve of pills clattered into the sink, sliding side to side until they came to stop over the plughole.

The idea of being pregnant did not worry her, not as she had when she had been with Gaston and had missed a period. Hence, why after she had gotten her period the next month, Belle had marched herself down to the nearest clinic and had acquired a prescription for birth control. Gaston had thought it was his lucky day, celebrating around their apartment, joyous he would not have to wear a condom again. Though as she looked back on it, the relief she had felt from seeing the tell-tales of her period, should have been enough to tell her something was not right with her relationship with Gaston. They had been together over a year, she should have been happy; instead, she had made her lower lip bleed with worry and had paced a hole into the floor of their apartment.

The only thing that worried Belle, as she stood in their bathroom, was getting Rumald's hopes up for nothing. It was obvious that he wanted more children. The amount of times he had brought it up and the fact, as he had shared with her, he was dreaming about them having children together, made her sure he would be deeply disappointed if it turned out she was not. She could not bear to tell him and get his hopes up, only to later squash them. It sounded like a trick Milah would have done to him, if she had ever thought about it.

"Belle!" Rumald shouted up the stairs. "Breakfast is ready!"

"Okay!" She shouted back her reply, opening her eyes to look at the sleeve in the sink. Looking at the pills in the sink, Belle knew she could not tell him, not until she knew.

Belle picked the sleeve out of the sink and tossed them back into the top draw of the cabinet beside the sink. A wave of guilt washed over her as she slid closed the draw, hiding the pills back out of sight and hopefully out of her mind for now. Briefly, she checked her reflection in the mirror and exited the bathroom, smoothing her hand down the front of her hoodie. She stepped out of their bedroom and was hit with the distinct, sweet smell of pancakes, wafting up the stairs from the kitchen.

Thundering down the stairs, she used the banister at the bottom of the stairs to swing herself towards the opening to the kitchen and skipped into the room, finding Rumald sat at the breakfast table, still dressed in his pyjama bottoms, newspaper spread wide in front of him, hiding him out of sight. The thought of Rumald making breakfast for Albert and their children, all sat round the table causing bedlam, while he sat picturesque with his newspaper, made her smile. She knew he would take it all in his stride, effortlessly fathering them, instructing them to eat their breakfast, secretly watching over them from the cover of his newspaper. He made it look so easy with Albert.

"Are you going to sit down and have your breakfast?" He asked from behind his newspaper, startling her from her daydream.

Belle's smile grew further, as she claimed the chair next to him. "Smells good."

"Do you know you're nearly as bad as Bae in the morning? Trying to get him to come down for breakfast is a nightmare!" He laid the paper on top of his folded legs and reached for his cup of coffee.

"Sorry, I was in the bathroom." She told him, picking up her knife and fork.

Rumald paused with the cup of coffee in front of his lips and asked. "You okay?"

His innocent question halted her hands and the knife cutting into her pile of pancakes. "Yeah…"

"You don't sound very sure." He commented lowering his cup down from his lips.

"Oh, no, no!" Belle said insistently, cutting a piece out of her pancakes. "I'm good! Never better! Perfect! Peachy! Splendid! Grand! Super!"

She ended her nervous babbling by stuffing a large piece of pancake into her mouth. Reaching for the jug of syrup in the middle of the table, Belle was very aware of Rumald's eyes on her, analysing her face. Belle sat back into her chair and gingerly poured the syrup over her pancakes, sheepishly glancing and smiling at Rumald. Gradually his eyebrows pushed up his forehead, his eyes wide, as he watched her.

Shaking his head, Rumald raised his cup to his lips, sipped from it, and put the cup back down onto the table saying. "I know you said it was mind blowing, but I'd rather not blow your mind, if you're like this in the morning."

"Oh, you're so funny." Belle said rolling her eyes at him and cut another wedge out of her pancakes.

"I wasn't trying to be funny." He said snapping his newspaper up in front of him. She glowered at him, or more at the newspaper, as she fed the piece of pancake on her fork into her mouth. Chewing the fluffy pancake, Belle chuckled and shook her head, delving her fork into the pile of pancakes to cut another piece.

"Oh!" Rumald dropped the newspaper, scrunching it up into his lap. "Did you need anything before Bae and I disappear?"

She swallowed her mouthful thinking it over. "Not that I can think of. But, if I need anything, I'll get it myself."

He scoffed at her statement and snapped the newspaper up in front of him again. "I wasn't saying it like that. Just thought I could save you a trip, seeing as I got to go out and pick Bae up."

"Hey!" Belle jeered in chorus with her knife clattering down onto her plate, reaching over to grab Rumald's wrist. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

"I know. I just don't like the idea of leaving you here on your own." He told her, letting the corner of the newspaper blocking his view dip down.

"I was perfectly fine here, while you were in Scotland." She told him to reassure him.

Rumald shook his head. "You had Bae here."

"And I was looking after him." She said, laying her fork down onto her plate.

"And he was looking after you." He cleverly countered. Her eyes looked to the ceiling, beseeching whatever God was listening. The pleased look on his face tempted her to swat her hand at him, jealous how he was always able to turn things in his favour. His newspaper rustled as Rumald tensioned the paper and went back to reading the newspaper.

Picking up her fork, Belle suggested. "Would it make you feel better, if I asked Ruby to stay here this weekend?"

"You'll end up having a house party." He said from behind his newspaper.

A puzzled look scrunched her eyebrows, whilst she inspected Rumald, only able to see his short greying hair over the top of the newspaper. "No, we wouldn't."

The newspaper closed and Rumald took the chance to give her a pointed look. "Ruby plus empty house, throw in the liquor in the basement, equals house party."

"I wouldn't let it happen." Belle insisted, waving the pancake on the end of her fork through the air.

"Well, let's say this then, dearie." He leant forward towards her, holding his newspaper out of the way. "If anything untoward happens or anything is broken, I won't just be blowing your mind next time."

His threat stirred a tingle between her thighs, a yearn for his tongue and fingers. Trying to relieve the strain, Belle squeezed her thighs together and rocked her hips, and shifted in her chair. It was not even just his threat, which had put her out of sorts. It was the dark, lustful look in his eyes and the shit-eating grin on his face. He knew exactly how to taunt her, rousing things deep inside of her. Belle rolled her lower lip into her mouth and grated it against her teeth, seeking any sort of sensation to distract her from the need he had incited.

"I swear nothing will happen." She swore to him and fed herself the piece of pancake on her fork, slowly drawing the fork out of her mouth. Two can play at this game.

One corner of his lips tugged his cheek aside as he settled back against his chair and reopened his newspaper, snapping the creases out of it, as he said. "Good, otherwise, dearie," Belle stopped chewing, wanting to hear him without any distractions. "You won't be able to use those sexy legs of yours for a week."

Flabbergasted she sat there staring at the back page of the newspaper. She was reminded of the light blue lingerie set Ruby had bought her and had been locked away in the guest bedroom wardrobe, with the other Christmas presents she had bought that weekend. The idea of them ever seeing the light of day, much like the nightie Rumald had ripped from her body, was far from being at the forefront of her mind. But as she sat there, hidden from him by the newspaper, her mind strayed. A plan to surprise him was beginning to develop. An idea to make their trip to New York that extra bit special encouraged her lips to form into a smirk, as she popped a piece of syrup covered pancake into her mouth.

Rumald's knee started to bob up and down in time with the music, rustling his newspaper. "I like this song."

"I can tell." She said with a small chuckle, using her fork to cut another piece from her stack of pancakes.

"Actually, what time is it?" He asked, but did not wait for a reply, twisting in his chair to see the clock on the wall in the kitchen behind him. "I better go and pack some things, and get dressed."

He closed his newspaper and folded it in half and then into quarters to discard it to the table, and picked up his cup of coffee to finish it like a shot. The chair moaned its complaint at being pushed out from under Rumald, allowing him to step out from table. As he went to sidestep around the back of Belle's chair, she caught him by putting her arm out, blocking his escape. Looking up to his face, his soft smile warmed her inside out, wanting nothing more than to fall back into bed with him.

His hand cupped her face whilst he fingered her hair, hooking it behind her ear and out of the way. "I wish you were coming with us."

"We haven't got long to wait, only got a week, and we'll be on our own for a whole week." Belle told him, encircling her arms around his waist, pulling him tight to her so her chin rested on his bare stomach.

"Not soon enough." He stated and stooped, pressing his lips onto hers.

She swatted her hand at his backside as he straightened his back and turned on her chair to face her pancakes. "Go and pack, Mr Gold."

Rumald stepped around her, disappearing behind her chair, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back. Lulling her head back, she grinned feeling Rumald glide his cheek against the side of her head, holding her tightly.

"Love you." Rumald told her with his breath tickling her ear.

"Love you too." She replied, patting her hand on top of his joined hands around her. He leant up and kissed the top of her head. Feeling him retract his arms from around her made her suddenly miss him, miss his warmth. Belle reached out to grab his hand, but missed, left sitting at the breakfast table to watch him saunter out of the room, repositioning his pyjama bottoms as he went.

Her thoughts from earlier came rushing back, hounding her with all the possibilities. She dropped her gaze down to her stomach and found her hand idling protectively near her belly. The sight slightly surprised her, but made her so happy. As she pondered over the thought of being pregnant, Belle allowed her hand to rub in a circular motion over her flat stomach, wondering whether a part of her and Rumald was inside of her.


	78. Chapter 78

"So, are you or aren't you?" Mary-Margaret asked, silencing everyone, the question pointed to Belle. With her three friends scattered around the living room, Belle felt useless with them all looking at her expectantly.

"I don't know." Belle shrugged her shoulders, grimacing at how stupid her answer was. "I haven't had chance to go out and get a test. They didn't leave 'til about five and then you guys were showing up about six."

Ruby reached across the couch and touched Belle's arm. "You should've told me. I would've stopped and got you one."

"I didn't want to say anything that would've roused Rumald's suspicion." She confessed to them, sloshing her untouched wine around in her glass.

"You haven't told him?" Ashley asked with her eyes wide with surprise.

"I don't want to get his hopes up for nothing." Belle explained, meekly lifting her shoulders to drop them again.

"Right, then." Mary-Margaret announced pushing herself up from the armchair. "There's no point sitting here, worrying whether you are or aren't. I'm going to get some tests and we'll find out."

Shaking her head, Belle placed her glass on the end table next to the couch. "No, no." She insisted, trying to catch Mary-Margaret's hand. "I can't be pregnant. I mean… It's only been three weeks. What're the chances?"

"An old college friend of mine came off the pill, when she and her husband decided to start trying," Mary-Margaret said collecting her coat from the back of the armchair Ashley inhabited. "And in the first month she was pregnant."

"Though," Ashley held up her hand to draw everyone's attention to her. "I had a friend, where it took them months to get pregnant after coming off the pill."

Ruby shook her head, raising her bottle of beer to her lips. "This is why I have a shot every three months."

"Oh, god!" Belle groaned and covered up her face with her hands. A hand started rubbing her back in an up and down motion. The kind gesture from Ruby was much appreciated, but did not help to remove the tension from her muscles.

When Rumald had returned with Albert, a wave of nervousness had swept through Belle at the sight of Albert, hit with the thought that their children would look like Albert. He had moaned into her ear, voicing his annoyance of being held up from packing his things for his trip with his father. Rumald had been amused by her display of affection for Albert, chuckling at them as he had walked by them to head down into the basement to collect the gear they would need. He was unaware of the secret she was keeping to herself, which amazed her more than the fact that she had forgotten to take her birth control. Rumald seemed to be able to sense when she was holding something back from him. Maybe it was because he was distracted by getting things ready for their trip, but she was grateful for his lack of interest.

"Do we want anything else, while I'm at the store?" Mary-Margaret asked the room, grabbing her purse from inside her handbag.

"Nibbles!" Ruby cheered. "There's plenty of booze downstairs. We just need more nibbles!"

Ashley frowned. "Plenty of booze?"

"Yeah! Have you not seen Rumald's stockpile?" Ruby asked a little too excited about the amount of alcohol in the basement.

"I'll be back in five then." Mary-Margaret told them, shaking her head at Ruby. Watching Mary-Margaret leave, Belle felt small sitting on the couch beside Ruby, who was going through the stock of alcohol in the basement with Ashley. In the entrance hall, Mary-Margaret paused and gave Belle a lopsided smile, whilst she opened the front door. A cold breeze quickly blew into the house as Mary-Margaret and the warmth of the house escaped out into the cold evening. The door shut soundly behind Mary-Margaret and Belle let out a long sigh.

"Seriously?" Ashley asked, looking from Ruby to Belle. "You've got enough booze in the basement to open a bar!"

"No!" Belle exclaimed, staring at Ruby next to her on the couch.

Ruby rolled her eyes at Belle. "There's boxes of wine and spirits all down one wall in the basement."

"Not enough to open a bar!" Belle said swatting at Ruby's arm with her hand.

"Okay, maybe not a bar then." Ruby recanted and then said. "But enough for a decent house party!"

"NO!" Belle raised her voice and shoved Ruby.

"I know, I know. You already said. No house party." Ruby said, pouting her lower lip.

Ashley chuckled. "Still," She flashed her eyes open wider and said. "Enough for a good girl's night in."

"Exactly!" Ruby pointed her finger at Ashley, grinning across at her.

"Knock yourselves out." Belle told them, curling her legs up underneath herself. The pair excitedly giggled and Ruby gestured for Ashley to follow her as she got up from the couch and headed to the into the entrance hall. Sitting back and closing her eyes, Belle listened to Ruby rabbit on about the selection in the basement, as the two passed the stairs in the entrance hall to enter the door that led down into the basement.

Sitting alone in the living room, all Belle could think about was how she wished Rumald were there with her, sitting beside her on the couch, holding her hand or rubbing her feet, whilst they watched the television together. It felt as if a part of her was missing, torn from her when they had pulled apart from their embrace, confessing their love to one another on the porch, with Albert complaining it would be dark by the time they reached the cabin. Rumald did not care. His descent down the porch steps was reluctant as he looked back at Belle, his eyes telling her all she needed to know.

He wanted to stay.

She had waved them off, holding her breath whilst his car reversed out of the drive and drove down the street. When it was finally out of sight, Belle had let the breath out, gasping for another, trying to recapture the smell of him. Trudging her way back inside, she had tightly hugged her arms around herself, desperate to keep his warmth and prolong the ghostly feel of his arms around her.

"Hey, don't look so down!" Ruby called from the entrance hall, chinking accompanying her call.

Belle opened her eyes and looked in the direction of Ruby's voice, seeing her friend clutch three bottles of wine to her chest and a bottle of whiskey in her hand. "What have you found now?"

"Oh, just some more bottles of the wine we already open and brought this bad boy up!" Ruby said, showing the bottle to Belle as she plopped down onto the couch.

"'Kay." Belle said inspecting the bottle before looking in the direction of the entrance hall. "Where's Ashley?"

"She was nosing through a box." Ruby said, waving her hand dismissively in the direction of the entrance hall, and placed the bottle of whiskey on the floor by her feet. Groaning Belle pushed herself up from the couch, but halted seeing Ashley appear in the entrance hall, carrying a box in her hands.

"I never realised Rumald was handsome when he was younger." Ashley said dumping the box onto the floor in front of the couch and sat down onto the floor, crossing her legs.

Belle pulled a face at Ashley's comment. "He's still handsome."

"You're biased." Ruby informed Belle and swigged from her beer. Slowly Belle turned her head to see Ruby next to her and stared at her friend. Ruby flashed a grin at Belle to which Belle mockingly grinned back and rolled her eyes after letting the grin drop from her lips.

"Look." Ashley said holding up a photograph she had picked out of the box. "He had to be pretty young there."

Belle reached out and took the photo from Ashley, examining it as Ruby leaned over, brushing her cheek over Belle's shoulder. The photo looked old. She squinted her eyes at the image of Rumald stood beside another woman. His light brown hair just covered the tops of his ears, his hair parted in the centre. He was pointing at whoever was taking the picture, a bottle of beer in his hand, while his other arm looked to be around the young woman beside him. She had to do a double take on the foreign object protruding from his mouth, never thinking he would ever do that.

"I didn't know Rumald smoked." Ruby said pointing her finger to the object in Rumald's mouth.

Belle shook her head. "Neither did I."

"What'd you think?" Ashley asked, rocking her hand side to side in the air. "Late teens?"

"Could be." Belle said looking from the photo to Ashley. "I haven't seen any photos around the house with Rumald's hair that length."

"I remember when he had it to his shoulders." Ruby informed them and drank from her beer.

Ashley picked another photo out from the box. "I've only ever seen him with short hair."

Ruby twisted to put her empty bottle onto the end table at her side of the couch. "He cut it after his wife left him. Nobody saw him for a couple of months. When he came into town with short hair, everyone was talking about it for weeks afterwards."

"Knowing him," Belle began to say as she took the next offered picture from Ashley. "He probably did it, because he wanted a fresh start."

The photo Ashley had given her was a group photo. She spotted a young Rumald, younger than the man in the photo before, stood to one side from everyone else. The rest of the people in the photograph looked happy, all smiling and looking at the person taking the photo. The man next to Rumald, Belle knew was Rumald's father, Malcolm, stood with his hands clasped in front of him, impeccably dressed in a three-piece suit. Rumald's gaze was cast down at the floor, looking lost and alone.

"Think that's his family back in Scotland?" Ashley asked, genuinely interested.

"Probably, seeing as Rumald's father is in the picture." Belle said turning the photo to point at Malcolm.

Ruby's eyebrows squeezed together. "Rumald looks miserable."

Flicking the photo back so she could see him, Belle said. "His relationship with his father isn't the best."

"Really?" Ashley scowled and then reached into the box to select another photo. "I know he can be callous with everyone, but he's always been really good with Albert from what I've seen. You can see Albert adores his father."

"Well, let's say this," Belle said returning the two photos in her hand to the box. "By having a shitty father, it has taught Rumald how to be a better father."

Ruby leant forward and picked a photo out of the box. "I don't even remember what my parents were like."

Ashley gazed up at Ruby, from the photo she had been looking at. "Nothing?"

"I remember odd things." Ruby said offering the photo she had been looking at to Belle. "Certain smells make me think of my mother."

"I sometimes get like that. It scares me when I can't picture my mother's face." Belle shared with them, unfolding her legs out from underneath herself, and delved into the box to pick out a photo for herself.

Ruby chuckled. "All I can ever remember is Granny and Rumald."

"What'd you mean?" Ashley asked, offering the picture she had been looking at towards Ruby and Belle.

"Of course, Granny brought me up after my parents died in the car crash." Ruby said taking the offered picture from Ashley. "But, because we used to be here a lot when I was younger, Rumald seemed to take me under his wing when I was here. He's probably the closest thing I've had to a male role model."

"He's a big softy when it comes to kids." Belle commented, smiling at the photo of Rumald sat with a group of people, drinking from a glass, a cigarette held between his fingers holding the glass.

Ruby handed the two photos she had to Belle. "He came and got me from school once, when I wasn't feeling very well. Looked after me in the back of his shop."

Ashley shook her head and selected another photo from the box. "I've never got to see this side of him before. The only time I ever see him, is when he comes to collect the rent. Although, that's more Mr Dove these days."

"He doesn't want to look weak." Belle thoughtfully said, flicking through the photos before depositing them back into the box and selected another out of the box.

The front door opened and Mary-Margaret came hurriedly into the house, quickly closing the door behind herself, blocking out the cold. The three of them looked expectantly to the entrance hall. Visibly they could see Mary-Margaret shake her body trying to get rid of the cold, as it tried to fight its way under her warm coat. Mary-Margaret spun round on her heel, revealing the two plastic bags of goodies.

"God, it's getting cold out there!" Mary-Margaret told them, shuffling into the living room. "The wind is really picking up out there."

Ruby eyed the plastic bags. "What'd you get?"

"Chips, chocolate, whips and whatever I fancied." Mary-Margaret informed them, dumping the plastic bags into the nearest armchair, and shrugged off her coat to lay over the back of an armchair.

"What about nuts?" Ashley asked, nosing over the arm of the chair at the bags.

"Yes, I got you a large bag of nuts." Mary-Margaret rolled her eyes, pulling up the sleeves of her woolly jumper. "I feel like I'm your mother."

"Yes, mum." Ruby and Ashley chorus together and both looked at each other before giggling at each other. An amused smile stretched Belle's lips.

"You," Mary-Margaret pointed at Belle. "Upstairs." The older woman instructed and delved her hand into one of the bags, bringing out a paper bag in her hand. Seeing the white paper bag, Belle nervously bit into her lower lip and breathed in deeply through her nose. Her eyes followed the packet as Mary-Margaret marched off back into the entrance hall, paused at the bottom of the stairs to look up them, and started to climb the stairs.

Ruby leaned over to Belle. "You better follow her, or she might ground you."

Ashley chuckled taking another photo out of the box, looking up at Ruby and Belle on the couch from the corner of her eye. Raising an eyebrow at her friend, Belle sat unmoving giving Ruby her best glare but could not keep it up with the two idiots smiling back at her. She shook her head, grinning, and pushed herself up from the couch, stepping over their legs, and followed Mary-Margaret up the stairs. As she neared the top of the stairs, Belle smiled at Mary-Margaret, who was looking at the framed photographs littering the walls.

"I got all the way up here and suddenly realised, I don't even know where the bathroom is." Mary-Margaret said gesturing to the long hallway.

Belle smiled softly and squeezed the top of Mary-Margaret's arm. "Don't worry about it."

"It's funny." Mary-Margaret said with the corner of her lips quirked into half a smile. "All the years, I've known Rumald and Al and I've only ever seen the entrance hall."

"Even when Milah lived here?" Belle asked opening the door to their bedroom.

Mary-Margaret scoffed. "As much as Al and Emma have been inseparable since they were toddlers. Does not mean their mothers were friends. Woman barely had a conversation with me. So stuck up."

"Sounds like Milah." Belle said heading into the bathroom attached the bedroom.

"Wow…" Mary-Margaret's voice trailed off. Stepping back to see her friend through the doorway, Belle eyed Mary-Margaret. The other woman's eyebrows were pushing up her forehead, as she gazed around the room, taking in the décor of their bedroom. Intrigued Belle moved over to Mary-Margaret's side, peering round the room herself to see what had caught Mary-Margaret's attention.

"What?" Belle asked, watching Mary-Margaret do another take of the whole room.

Mary-Margaret blinked her eyes a couple of times before turning her attention to Belle. "It's just… It's just like something out of a magazine. Everything in this house is immaculate. Positioned perfectly."

"He's a stickler for everything being exact. I can't stop him cleaning sometimes." Belle waved her hand in the direction of the bedroom.

"Hey!" Mary-Margaret grabbed Belle's upper arms, the paper bag pressed into Belle's arm. "Don't knock it! I feel like I need a full time maid to tidy up after David."

"Yeah, well… Sometimes, I'd like it to feel like we live here and not a show home." Belle grumbled, while her eyes were on the taunting paper bag.

Her friend's head nodded. "I can understand that."

The paper bag felt like it was burning a hole through the thick material of her hoodie. The weight of possible answers held inside the paper bag made Belle want to run as fast as she could from the house, whilst wanting to rip it open and see what answers were held inside for her.

"Come on." Mary-Margaret nodded into bathroom. "Time to pee."

Pursing her lips into a tight line, Belle trailed into the bathroom behind Mary-Margaret, loitering a couple of steps behind the other woman. Mary-Margaret gave her a reassuring smile over her shoulder, emptying the contents of the paper bag onto the cabinet next to the sink. Three boxes dropped out of the bag. Belle eyebrows hiked up at the sight of the tests. The realness of the situation sank in as she drew her arms around herself for comfort, wishing they were the strong arms that held her every night.

Mary-Margaret ripped open one of the boxes. "Have you done one before?"

"I bought one a few years ago, but never got to use it." Belle said coyly, venturing closer to look over Mary-Margaret's shoulder, watching Mary-Margaret toss the pamphlet onto the cabinet.

"It's simple enough to use." Belle was startled when Mary-Margaret whirled round, holding the stick out towards her. "Pull the lid off, pee on it and wait." Mary-Margaret instructed and waited for Belle to take it from her.

"How exact is it?" Belle asked slowly taking the plastic stick from Mary-Margaret.

Pouting her lower lip out in thought, Mary-Margaret bounced her head from side to side. "Pretty good." Mary-Margaret pointed to the stick in Belle's hand. "This one will even tell you how many weeks along you are."

"Right…" Belle scrunched her brow down over her eyes, staring at the plastic stick.

"Time to pee." Mary-Margaret beamed and rubbed her hands up and down Belle's upper arms. "I'll wait in the bedroom."

"Okay." She muttered as her fingers tightened around the stick and Mary-Margaret left her to go into the bedroom. It was strange for Belle to think a piece of plastic could change so much. Could mean so much to someone.

An image of Rumald waiting expectantly for Milah to tell him they were pregnant invaded her thoughts. She could imagine his face. The strain of wanting another child, wanting to share the love he kept hidden behind his walls. It pained Belle to think about him like that, desperate for Milah to give him the joyous news, not knowing the woman he loved at the time was keeping a secret from him. Not wanting the same thing as he did. Belle closed her eyes, hating the fact Milah had probably took great satisfaction in her deception and seeing the pain in Rumald, every time she would tell him it was negative.

"Come on." Belle told herself aloud, opening her eyes to look at the stick. "Just pee and wait."

She stepped over to the toilet pulling the plastic lid and pushed down her sweatpants and panties in one motion as she sat down onto the toilet. Biting on her lip, Belle held the stick between her legs and closed her eyes, waiting for the flow to start.

As she peed on the stick, she could not help but think of Rumald. Her thoughts tumbled through how and where she would tell him and how he would react to the news. Belle knew he would not react badly. She envisioned he would likely breakdown into tears, pleading with her not to lie to him, disbelieving the truth. The image saddened her as she brought the stick out from between her legs and slid it into the lid. With a heavy sigh, Belle placed it carefully onto the cabinet and cleaned herself before flushing the toilet and pulling up her clothes. Her eyes did not waver from plastic stick, as she stood up and straightened the waistbands of her sweatpants and panties.

"All done?" Mary-Margaret gingerly asked from the doorway, whilst Belle washed her hands.

"Yeah." Belle said drying her hands on the hand towel beside the sink, feeling an urge to cry grow inside of her.

A warm arm swept around her shoulders and pulled her tightly into Mary-Margaret's side. The comforting sentiment was nearly too much to bear and Belle clenched her eyes shut, trying to stop the unshed tears from spilling down her cheeks.

"It's okay." Mary-Margaret crooned in a quiet voice, combing some loose hair behind Belle's ear. "Don't worry. I can assure you, he'll be happy about it, if you're pregnant." Mary-Margaret rested her head against Belle's. "I thought David was going to hate me, when I told him."

Twisting her head to see Mary-Margaret's face, Belle asked. "Hate you?"

"We were at college, when I fell pregnant with Emma. I thought he would hate me, because we would have to give up everything, if we went through with having her." Mary-Margaret said, smiling sadly at Belle.

"Oh." Belle tried her best give Mary-Margaret a sympathetic smile.

Wafting her hand through the air, Mary-Margaret broke out into a wide smile. "He didn't hate me. If anything, he bounced around the room like an idiot."

"I can see David doing that." Belle stated to Mary-Margaret, a thoughtful glint in her eyes. "Rumald would probably react similar to that."

"Have you two spoken about having kids?" Mary-Margaret probed, checking the time on her wristwatch.

"A few times." Belle said slipping her hands into the joining pocket of her hoodie.

The warmth around her back slowly slid off her back, as Mary-Margaret stepped round Belle to lean back on the edge of the sink, facing Belle. "I guess it's a good thing Rumald and Milah never had any more children. It's bad enough Al had to go through the fall out and the divorce."

"Bad?" She asked Mary-Margaret.

"It took Al a good few months to get his head around Milah not coming back." Mary-Margaret's eyebrows knitted together. "It was maddening to hear him talk as though she was coming home."

"I can sympathise with that. I remember after my mother died, thinking it was just a big joke and she would come home, and we would all laugh about how they tricked me." Belle said sitting down onto the edge of the bath behind her.

Mary-Margaret shook her head at something she was thinking and said. "I've never understood why she gave all this up." She motioned to the bathroom around her. "They had a good life. Rumald doted her, both of them, gave her everything she wanted. Why wasn't it good enough?"

"To be honest with you," Belle sat up straighter. "I'm glad she left."

"Really?" Mary-Margaret's face conveyed her shock.

"How can I not be?" Belle asked rhetorically, drawing her hands out from the pouch in her hoodie to gesture wildly. "He'd still be with her."

"Suppose… he would be." The expression on Mary-Margaret's face softened, understanding slowly dawning.

Thinking of Rumald and Milah still being together repulse Belle enough a bitter taste formed at the back of her throat. Her stomach squirmed, a threat to throat up its contents, if Belle did not stop thinking about them together, holding each other, kissing… Making love… Her face twisted with the disgust she felt.

"Hey," Mary-Margaret said, calling Belle out of her thoughts. "Time's up."

"What?" Belle blurted, frowning, as Mary-Margaret stepped closer to the cabinet and leaned over, inspecting the pregnancy test Belle had forgotten about. She rolled her eyes at herself, disbelieving how she could have forgotten about it, and stood up from the bath to stand next to Mary-Margaret. Looking down at the plastic stick, Belle had no idea what she was looking at or what she should be looking for, but stared in wonder at it. The odds that she was or was not pregnant did not matter. It had now become a fifty-fifty possibility.

Slowly Mary-Margaret turned her head to look at Belle and Belle turned her head to look at Mary-Margaret, as Mary-Margaret said. "Let's have another drink and we'll do another one. Just to be sure."


	79. Chapter 79

Sitting in a booth at Grannies, Belle pushed the last of her breakfast around her plate with her fork, breathing out loudly through her mouth. Friday night, Belle had managed to get no sleep at all, left to listen to the drunken snore of her friends echoing down the hallway. Saturday night had been a restless night sleep, jealous of Ruby sound asleep in the guest bedroom across the hallway. Leaving her on that Sunday morning, tired and lethargic, her mind unable to process anything from Friday night.

Saturday she had just followed the motions of her friends, joining them for the festivities in the town square and watching the parade pass by. None of it sunk in. She doubted she would have been able to tell anyone of what she remembered about the parade. Or what Mayor Mills had said, when she had addressed the residents of Storybrooke. Belle had a dim memory of being guided around the stalls by Ruby, her arm hooked around Belle's, dragging her from stall to stall and showing her the different delights. 'What about this?' Ruby had asked every time she had held something up. Another item, 'This is cute'. None of it she remembered.

Belle leant back against the back of the booth seat and laid her fork across her plate, giving up on the idea of finishing her breakfast. Her cup of coffee was lukewarm, but the porcelain still held the heat, a delightful contrast to her cold fingers. She drank from her coffee, while her eyes strayed to the blind covered windows, peering out through the gaps of the blinds to see a young couple sitting outside. They were wrapped up, hats and scarfs, and touched each other with gloved hands, smiling as they talked heatedly to one another. Holding the cup near her lips, enjoying the tempered heat, her lips curved into a smile as she watched them. They reminded her of how much she missed Rumald, starving for a conversation with him.

"At least you managed to eat something today." Ruby commented, as she slid into the seat opposite Belle in the booth.

Belle breathed in through her nose and lowered her cup away from her lips, turning her gaze from the young couple to see Ruby smiling at her. "Got to try and get back to normality."

Ruby stretched her arm over the table and captured Belle's hand holding her cup of coffee, asking. "You gave anymore thought to telling him?"

"Not right now." She shook her head at her friend and dropped her eyes to her cup of coffee. "I need to get my head around it."

"Sharing it with him, might help." Ruby suggested sounding a lot wiser than her years.

The suggestion brought Belle's eyes up from the cup to Ruby. "Probably."

The door to Grannies clattered open. Ruby's eyes snatched away from Belle to look to the door of the diner. Belle was not interested and looked down to spy into her cup of coffee before raising the cup to her lips, finishing off the last of her coffee. The coffee was not as good as the brand they had at home, but it was good enough to chase away her tiredness. About to signal Grannie or a waitress over to them, Belle looked up to find Milah stood by their booth, blocking Belle's way out of the bench seat.

"Good morning." Milah beamed at them, her sights set on Belle, as she held her hand protectively over her belly.

"Morning." Belle returned in a cool voice.

Milah's eyebrows shot up at the sound of Belle's voice. "Not very chipper this morning? What's the matter? Rumald bored of his new toy?"

Ruby made a 'pfft' noise at Milah's statement and chuckled. "Far from being bored from what I hear."

"Oh, really?" Milah questioned with one of her eyebrows raised at Ruby, missing the scowled Belle gave Ruby across the table. "And what have you heard?"

"Nothing." Belle interjected, moving her eyes from Ruby to Milah. "She's heard nothing."

The smile Milah wore touched a nerve in Belle, while her hand itched to slap the smile from her face. "No need to be like that. It's not like I don't know what he likes, how he likes to be touched." Milah inclined herself forward, bringing her face nearer to Belle, increasing the itch in Belle's hand. "Or how he likes to fuck."

"Well," Belle grinned up at Milah. "There's the difference."

"What?" Milah recoiled back, uncertain of the look on Belle's face.

Belle slid out of the booth seat and straightened up in front of Milah, making the other woman take a step back. "He doesn't – fuck - me." She said uncaring who heard her in the diner. "He makes long… slow… passionate… love to me."

"Fucking is fucking." Milah laughed turning away from Belle, waving a dismissive hand at her.

"No, it isn't." Belle stated making Milah stop, angling her head to see Belle over her shoulder. "Fucking is what happens in the backseats of cars or sleazy motels, when you're sneaking around behind your husband's back."

"She'd be the expert in that." Ruby added from her seat in the booth, listening intently to the exchange.

Milah turned back to Belle, a sly smile on her face. "Oh, no, never in the backseats of cars or sleazy motels." She told them. "Always in our bed at the house. Probably the same bed, in the same bedroom, you share with your precious Rum."

"I can tell you it isn't." Belle said chuckling and went to collect her coat from the coat stand by the door.

"I can assure you, it probably is." Milah raised her voice, projecting it the small distance across the diner.

Belle delved her arm into her coat and pivoted round to face Milah, a cunning smile gracing her lips as she put her arm into the other sleeve of her coat. "And I can assure you, that it isn't the same bed."

"And how can you do that?" Milah asked pressing her eyebrows down over her eyes, while her hand stilled over her belly.

"Because we broke it, whilst we were making love a couple of months ago." Belle lied, beaming a smile across the diner at Milah. Flicking out her hair from her coat, she watched Milah stumble back to sit down on a chair at an empty table. A triumphantly feeling lifted Belle, as Milah groaned and clasped her hand over her forehead. She was slightly puzzled by Milah's overreaction, but shrugged it off and opened the door to Grannies to escape into the chilly morning air.

Belle was halfway down the steps of the porch, when she heard the door open behind and Ruby shouted her. "Belle! Come back!"

"What?" Belle spun round. "Why?"

"Her water just broke!" Ruby shouted holding the door wide and looked back at the commotion in the diner.

"Call an ambulance then." Belle dismissed Ruby's call and pulled her hat out of her pocket, turning to walk out of the fenced area of Grannies.

For anybody else, she would have gone back to help but not for that woman. She owed Milah's no favours and did not want Milah owing her any favours. Milah had made her own bed a long time ago and she could very well lie it, and suffer the consequences. Pulling her hat down over the top of her head, Belle headed in the direction of home and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her coat.

Belle stopped at the intersection, waiting for the signal to show green so she could cross the street, and glanced back in the direction of Grannies. Closing her eyes, she fought with the urge to go back to Grannies and help Milah. The woman had done nothing but cause trouble from the day she had met her. Why on Earth she felt the need to go and help Milah alluded her. Milah would never be grateful for the help, she would not change her ways because of the act of kindness. She would take it as she did everything else in life. Take it and abuse it. Toy with it until it bored her and throw it away, as if it never mattered. As if, they did not have feelings that could be hurt.

Taking in a deep breath of the cold mid-morning air, Belle knew exactly why she headed back to Grannies and stomped her way up the steps onto the porch, and ripped open the door. She was not Milah. She was better than Milah. She actually cared about other people more than she did herself.

A crowd of people surrounded Milah, where she sat on chair, huffing and puffing. Belle squeezed her eyebrows together as she came to stop, sweeping her gaze over the whole scene. The group chatted in worried voices, pointing and gesturing to Milah and each other. Grannie was slung over Milah's shoulders, talking in hush tones to Milah, instructing her to hold back from pushing. Leaning to see pass the crowd, Belle spotted Ruby at the back of the diner, a finger in her ear whilst she held her phone to other ear.

"Someone get Killian!" Milah shouted over the din of voices.

Belle huffed at the sight in front of her and rolled her eyes at the fact, she had come back to help Milah. Mentally she asked herself again, why she felt Milah deserved her help, hoping her reason had lost some strength so she could leave and go home, and wait for the boys to return from the cabin.

Ducking through the crowd, she knelt down next to Milah and rested her hand on Milah's thigh. "Where's your car?"

"Outside." Milah panted at her, clutching the back of the chair and the top of the table.

"Come on then." Belle told Milah as she peeled her tight grip off the back of the chair and helped Milah to stand up.

Milah stumbled and leant more weight onto Belle. "I can't!"

"Yes, you bloody well can!" Belle hooked her arm firmly under Milah's and tugged her through the crowd. "We're going!"

"Get off me!" Milah exclaimed trying to fight with Belle, as Belle shoved the door to the diner opened and dragged Milah through it.

"Look!" Belle harshly tugged at Milah's arm, bringing Milah's full attention to Belle. "I don't like this as much as you do, but you're not exactly in a position to argue with me!"

Milah shoved at Belle. "I'll wait for the ambulance!"

"Good!" She shouted back at Milah and went to walk down the steps, when Milah yanked her back.

"Don't leave me!" Milah cried clinging onto Belle's coat.

"Oh, for god's sake!" Belle grumbled hefting Milah closer and helped her down the stairs.

The door clattered open behind them. "Where're you taking her?"

Belle stopped and twisted to see Ruby on the porch to Grannies. "Oh well, you know, I thought me and Milah could do with some bonding time. So, I'm taking her to the spa and we can get facials together. Maybe a mud bath… Where the hell do you think I'm taking her?"

"I've called for an ambulance now!" Ruby yelled back, giving Belle a pointed look, and waved her phone through the air.

"How long?" Belle questioned, as Ruby came nearer.

"Half an hour." Ruby informed them. At the news of the eta of the ambulance, Milah let out a long, strangle cry, bearing her weight down onto Belle's arm.

Belle looked straight at Ruby. "I don't think she has half an hour."

"There's got to be time." Ruby said grabbing hold of Milah's other arm. "It can't be that quick."

"Albert was!" Milah groaned down at the ground, clutching at Belle's fingers.

"Ruby, help me get her to the car." Belle instructed, gesturing with her head towards the street.

Ruby frowned looking to the street, struggling with Milah. "What car?"

"Killian's car, of course." Belle said and finally looked up to see no cars were parked at the kerb outside of Grannies. The three of them came to a stop outside the fence line for Grannies and Belle and Ruby both looked up and down the street, trying to spot the red sports car that belonged to Killian.

Belle gazed down at Milah, who was hunched over clutching at her stomach. "You said the car was outside!"

"I didn't say where outside!" Milah sneered back, angling her head to look at Belle.

"Where's the car then?" Ruby exclaimed, knocking her elbow into Milah's side.

Milah stood bolt upright and grabbed hold of Ruby's top. "Knock me again and you'll find out what a knuckle sandwich is all about!"

"Milah!" Belle shouted pulling her off her friend and spun her round to face her. "Where's the fucking car!"

"In the parking lot!" Milah flung her arm in the general direction of Grannies parking lot for the B&B. The three of them huddled together and shuffled through the outside dining area of Grannies, knocking chairs and tables as they clumsily sidestepped tables. Walking like a crab, the three walked sideways through the small passageway, which linked the outside area to the alleyway that ran up the side of Grannies.

"God!" Milah cried bending over at the pain.

"Don't you push!" Ruby cried.

Milah bent her head to look at Ruby. "Do you think I want to push! Do you think I want to give birth here? With you, you stupid girl?"

"Hey!" Ruby shouted back at Milah. "Less of the stupid!"

Belle held her tongue and trudged on, dragging them across the parking lot to the red sports car. When they were by the car, Milah shoved the two of them aside and latched onto the car for support, bending forward, bracing herself onto the edge of the roof. Recovering from Milah's shove, Belle delved her hands into Milah's coat pocket and smiled finding the keys on her first go. Ruby's eyebrows pushed up her forehead, showing her surprise at Belle finding the car keys with her first try.

"Right, let's get you in the car." Belle said in a calmer voice and pressed a button on the fob to unlock the car. Ruby placed her hands on Milah's hips and guided the other woman to move aside, allowing Belle to open the passenger door.

"Get off me!" Milah cried and flung her arm round, thwarting off Ruby's help.

Ruby groaned loudly and threw her hands up into the air. "I'm trying to help!"

"I didn't ask for your help!" Milah shouted spinning round to grab Ruby. Foreseeing what Milah intended, Belle used Milah's own momentum to keep her turning and shoved her into the passenger seat. The painful yelp that Milah cried was like angels in heaven singing to Belle's ears and closed her eyes to savour the sound of it.

"What the hell?" Milah shouted from inside the car, fighting to right herself in the car. Belle breathed deeply through her nose and held her breath, turning to face Ruby, who was snickering into the palm of her hand, watching Milah's limbs flail around. Slowly Belle let the breath out, holding back her need to laugh, and ignored the stare Milah was giving her as she closed the passenger door. A muffle cry of pain erupted inside the car, whilst Belle walked around the car and smiled at Ruby over the roof of the car.

Snatching open the driver's door, Belle clambered into the car and slammed the door shut, murmuring to herself. "Okay…"

The car felt very narrow, a complete contrast to her car, especially with the heavily pregnant woman beside her in the passenger seat. Belle searched for the ignition, bobbing her head from side to side like a boxer, and found the ignition on the steering column. She started the car and looked down to the pedals. Three pedals. 'Why does it have three pedals?' she asked herself and then looked at the shifter.

"Ah!" Belle's eyes widened at the manual gear stick.

"What!" Milah exclaimed, clinging to the door and the armrest between them.

"Nothing." Belle said testing the pedal she assumed worked the clutch. "I've never driven a manual before."

"What!" Milah's voice went higher, lurching forward to look at Belle.

Belle waved her off. "It's fine." She said pressing the clutch all the way down to the floor. "It's like the quad bike."

"Quad bike!" Milah exclaimed and questioned at the same time. "It's a car!"

"I can see that. Thank you very much." Belle said moving the gearshift into first. Slowly she let the clutch up, listening to her inner voice of Rumald, and gradually pressed her foot onto the gas, and held it. The engine was loud and she feel the car was trying to move, shaking the car.

"Why… Ah!" Belle let the handbrake off and the car drove forward. Grinning she glanced over at Milah, who had her eyes shut as she tried to control her breathing, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. In her head, she heard Rumald tell her to dip the clutch and braked at the same time, checking either way before she drove out of the parking lot, turning the car in the direction of the hospital.

As she drove along, concentrating on changing gear at the right time, Belle became aware that she was mimicking Milah's breathing pattern. Breathing in deeply through her nose and slowly out of her mouth. The rhythmic breathing calmed her nerves as she drove and changed gear, cheering inwardly as she did it without stalling the car. She noted to herself how Rumald would be so proud of her, when she told him later.

"Oh god!" Milah cried clinging to the interior of the car.

Belle glanced over worryingly at Milah. "Don't push."

"What do you think I'm trying not to do?" Milah asked, an edge to her voice.

"Well, maybe trying not to piss off the driver, who's taking you to the hospital?" Belle supplied, darting her eyes between the road and Milah.

Milah lulled her head back. "Okay… Fair point."

Belle breathed heavily through her mouth and changed gear, glancing at Milah. "Talk."

"About what?" Milah asked with her eyes closed.

"Tell me… Tell me about Bae being born." Belle suggested with a deep frown as she dipped the clutch and changed down the gears, braking for the intersection up ahead.

"Albert!" Milah bellowed from the passenger seat.

Shaking the ringing from her ears, Belle said. "Okay, tell me about Albert being born."

"What's to tell?" Milah asked lowering her head to look at Belle. "He was born."

Belle swept her gaze from one side of the intersection to the other and let the clutch out, the car bunny hopped a little before she gave it more gas, telling Milah. "Where were you when your waters broke?"

"I was at home." Milah replied and dropped her head back against the headrest. "Rum was pestering around as usual. Do you need this? Would you like this? Do you want me to get you anything?"

"He was looking after you." Belle defended whilst she changed gear.

Milah looked across at Belle. "It was annoying."

"Then what happened?" Belle asked trying to move the story on.

"I kept feeling this tightness in my back, so Rum ran me a bath." Milah said resting one of her hands onto the bump of her belly. "I hadn't been in the bath more than ten minutes, when the water became all murky."

Belle chanced a glance at Milah. "Your water broke in the bath?"

Milah nodded her head. "I didn't have chance to do anything. Rum lifted me out of the bath and slung me into the back of his car, driving me like a crazy person to the hospital."

"Did he stay?" Belle asked, changing down the gears again and signalled to turn at the next intersection.

"Wouldn't leave my side." Milah said. "Held my hand the whole time. Even when they wheeled me down to the delivery room, he wouldn't let go of my hand."

Belle took the turn and glanced over at Milah, slightly concerned by the… loving smile on her face, as Milah said. "Never left my side."

"Then what?" Belle asked, while she tried to push the image of the loving smile Milah had on her face out of her mind.

"Then Albert cried." Milah said with a content sigh. "It was like the world stopped spinning. He was there. He was actually there after so long."

A sigh of relief escaped Belle, when she could see signs directing them to the hospital, as Milah said. "That was when it all changed."

"What?" Belle looked round to Milah, distracted from the road.

"He didn't love me anymore." Milah said in a neutral voice. "He loves Albert more than he would ever love me."

A honk of a horn snapped Belle's attention back to the road, just in time for her to swerve out of the oncoming traffic. Milah voiced her protest, swearing at Belle for the near death experience, while Belle mulled over Milah's confession. Rumald had told her it had gotten worse after Albert was born, hearing Milah's reason stabbed at Belle's heart.

"Take the turn!" Milah ordered, forcefully pointing at the turning, which they were approaching. Snatching the steering to take the turn, Belle dipped the clutch and dropped down the gears, and braked to a stop outside the emergency room doors. The car lurched forward from the force of stopping. All thought about clutch and gears was forgotten now they reached the hospital, and Belle lifted her feet off the pedals and stalled the car. Lost as the car rolled backwards, Belle stamped her foot onto the brake and glimpsed around the car for an indicator as to what she should do.

"Handbrake!" Milah cried and snatched up the handbrake at the same time. Belle nodded her head at the information and pulled at the latch for her door. Hospital staff were already hanging out near the doorway, curiously watching the two women in the sports car.

"Hey!" Belle gestured to Milah in the car. "She needs medical attention! She's giving birth!"

The staff scurried over to the car and began helping Milah to get out of the car, talking to her in soothing tones as they placed her into a wheelchair. Belle watched helplessly as they took Milah away, different code words being shouted between staff members. Looking down at the car and then back up at the entrance to the hospital, Belle shut the car door.


	80. Chapter 80

Belle sat in the large waiting area, her legs crossed at her knees, a magazine laid open in her lap as she flicked through it. It felt like she had been sat there for eternity, waiting for Gladius and Killian to arrive. Why it was taking them so long, she could not fathom as she licked her forefinger and turned to the next page in the magazine. Her gaze drifted up to a pregnant woman, who was waddling her way down the corridor with her partner beside her, his hand guiding her on her lower back as she clutched at his hand. The man looked lost, scared, as they ambled by the waiting area, heading down the corridor together. She could not help but smile her amusement and gazed down at the magazine over her knee.

She tried to think what it would be like to be heavily pregnant with Rumald scooting around her, tending to her every need. The idea of him being by her side through the whole thing softened her face, content that he would make sure she and the baby had everything they would need and wanted. Being there with her during the night, when the baby would not settle and kept her awake. All the security he gave her, he would give to their child just as he did with Albert. A thought of her father popped into her head and she tried to imagine how her mother had coped with the stress of her father and money, whilst her mother had been pregnant with Belle.

"Belle!" A familiar voice called. Her head shot up from the magazine, dragging her attention away from an article on 'My husband left me for another man', to see Gladius weaving her way through the rows of chairs in the waiting area. Belle sat back against the chair, smiling at Gladius as the older woman claimed the seat beside her.

"Any news?" Gladius asked, waiting expectantly for Belle to answer.

Belle shook her head. "No… Well, they're not really telling me anything as I'm not immediate family."

Grumbling Gladius removed the straps of her handbag from her arm and wedged it between herself and Belle, as she looked around saying. "I need to find out what's going on."

"The nurse's station is down that way." Belle pointed in the general direction of the nurse's station.

"Right. Look after my bag." Gladius instructed standing up from her chair and turned to go in the direction Belle had indicated.

Watching her move through the waiting area, Belle waited until Gladius was out of sight before she looked back down at the article she was reading. She pulled a face as she read more of the article, unable to understand why people would sell their stories to such magazines. Turning the page in the magazine, she chuckled at the absurdity and shook her head, skimming through the next story on 'the father of my baby is an alien'.

"She's in the delivery room." Gladius informed Belle, startling her.

Belle sat up right and breathed heavily, glaring at Gladius as she took the seat beside her. "Not long then."

Gladius hooked her thumb in the direction she had come from. "Killian's in there with her."

"Oh… I didn't know he was here." Belle said titling her head at the news.

"Maybe you were too engrossed with…" Gladius crooked her head to read the title of the article. "The father of my child is an alien…? Why are you reading that rubbish?"

Closing the magazine, Belle tossed it back onto the table in front of them. "It was something to pass the time."

"I couldn't possibly read." Gladius said opening her handbag to reach into it and brought out her phone. "I don't know whether I want to pace or jump up and down."

"You don't have to worry about embarrassing yourself. One father has already ran down the corridor with his t-shirt over his head. Nothing you could do could be worse than that." Belle informed Gladius, laying her hand on Gladius's shoulder.

Pouting her lips, Gladius gave Belle a pointed look, while she unlocked her phone. "Have you told Albert?"

"I texted him, but I haven't got a reply. Probably doesn't have any signal at the cabin." Belle said placing her hands on top of her knee, watching the couple from earlier retrace their steps down the corridor.

"I'll try him. He might want to be here." Gladius said, holding her phone to her ear.

"I don't think Rumald was planning to leave 'til about two o'clock." She looked to the clock on the far wall of the waiting area. "It's only midday."

Gladius slapped Belle's knee, bouncing up and down in her seat. "Albert! You are… Okay… Yes, we're both here. Okay, we'll see you soon." She hung up the phone and smiled at Belle. "They got your message. They'll be here in half an hour."

"I was going to leave after you arrived." Belle commented, as she picked at something on her jeans. "I might as well wait round for the boys."

"From the sounds of it, they had stopped for breakfast when they got your text." Gladius said putting her phone back in her bag. "Must have left earlier."

"Mrs Johnson?" A nurse called, drawing both of them to look at the young woman. "Your daughter's asking to see you."

Gladius shot up from her seat. "Everything's okay?"

The young nurse smiled. "Healthy baby boy, weighing in at six pounds and four ounces." She said and then added. "They're just settling her into a private room."

Excitedly Gladius bounced from foot to foot, giggling, as she whirled round to face Belle. "Come on, dear. Come and meet my new grandson!"

"Oh, no, no." Belle shook her head and waved for Gladius to go. "Go and see your grandson. She isn't going to want me there."

"I really couldn't give a damn what she wants! Come on!" Gladius bent over and grabbed her handbag and Belle's arm, hauling her up and out of her seat. Stumbling to her feet, Belle rolled her eyes at Gladius and collected her coat, laying it over her arm to carry it. She followed Gladius, who was chatting with the nurse, telling the young woman how this was her second grandson and went on to tell the nurse how handsome Albert was. It made Belle smile, hearing how proud Gladius was to be a grandmother.

"Hopefully, I'll be an honorary grandmother soon." Gladius said leaning in closer to the nurse, whispering loud enough for Belle to hear.

"Really?" The young nurse asked, cocking her head to the side.

Gladius smiled over her shoulder at Belle. "Yes, my ex son-in-law and his fiancée will hopefully be having kids at some point."

Belle returned Gladius's smile, consciously aware of her hand splayed over her stomach, hidden behind her coat. Letting her gaze drop to see her hand, her smile grew as a contented feeling washed over her. Mentally she reminded herself to call the doctors at work and make an appointment, as she raised her head up to see Gladius and the nurse.

"Ex son-in-law?" The nurse asked with a bemused smile. "Take it you're close?"

"Very close." Gladius told the young woman, beaming a brighter smile.

The nurse slowed to a stop outside a closed door. "Who's your ex son-in-law?"

"Oh, well, you'll know him as Mr Gold." Gladius supplied, wiping the smile off the young nurse's face. The young woman swallowed nervously and dropped her gaze to the floor, and rocked forward and backwards on the balls of her feet. Seeing the young woman's reaction was not new to Belle, but it did not stop her disappointment. She hated seeing people react in a negative way to Rumald's name, behaving as though they had mentioned the devil to a devout churchgoer.

The nurse pulled herself together and forced a smile, as she pushed open the door. "She's just in here."

"Thank you… Keira." Gladius said reading the nametag on the woman's scrub shirt. Edging into the room, Gladius opened the door further as Belle said her thanks to the nurse. Pausing in the doorway, Belle followed the young woman with her eyes, as the nurse hurried away from them. It saddened her to see it, but she understood the woman's behaviour. They did not know her Rumald. They did not know how he would rub her feet, after she had a long day of running back and forth between the library and the school. They did not know that every night he went into Albert's room and tucked him in after Albert had gone to sleep, combing his fingers through Albert's dark wavy hair. They did not know how he put his family before himself, unconcerned with his own wellbeing.

With a heavy sigh, Belle pushed forward into Milah's room and quietly closed the door. She questioned herself again, as to why she was there. Why had she felt the need to get involved, when she knew Milah would never do the same for her? She had more chance of Milah helping off a cliff or tying a noose around her neck, than helping her. Still, there she was standing in Milah's hospital room.

"Hey." A hushed voice called. Smiling Belle looked at Killian, where he sat on the edge of the hospital bed by Milah's side. Gladius leaned over Milah and cooed at the baby in Milah's arms, whilst she stroked her finger over the baby's cheek.

"What's she doing here?" Milah asked, aiming her gaze at Belle.

Gladius did not falter from smiling down at her grandson, simply telling Milah. "I think you'll find, dear, you should be thanking Belle for bringing you to the hospital. Don't you?"

"No, not real…" Milah caught the scowl her mother gave her. "Thank you."

"I'm sure you can say it in a much nicer tone." Gladius said scooping her grandson out of her Milah's arms and cradled the baby tightly to her chest.

"Thank you, Belle." Milah muttered crossing her arms.

Belle raised an eyebrow. "You're… welcome."

"Thank you, love." Killian said with a kind smile. "I really do appreciate you bringing Milah to the hospital."

"Honestly, you don't need to thank me." Belle said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Nearly got us killed." Milah grumbled as she straightened the bed sheets covering her.

"I'm… just…" Belle stumbled her words out, whilst she gestured to the door behind her. "I'll go wait outside for the boys."

She did not wait for anyone to beg her to stay and quickly opened the door to escape into the corridor. Breathing in deeply, Belle closed her eyes and shook her head from side to side. She knew Milah would never have been genuinely thankful. She had told herself that. However, it did not stop Belle feeling frustrated about being right. It was stupid to try to see the good in people. She should have learnt her lesson with her father. Time after time, Belle had tried to see the good man in him and lied to herself that he had changed this time.

"Belle!"

Opening her eyes, Belle looked down the corridor to see Albert running towards her. "Hey!"

"Where's my baby brother?" Albert asked eagerly, skidding to a stop in front of Belle.

"Whoa!" She laughed grabbing hold of Albert, steadying herself and him, as he bumped into her. "They're in there." Belle nodded her head at the door next to them.

Albert darted at the door, but Belle yanked him back. "Hang on!" He froze and looked at her. "Where's your father?"

"Parking the car." Albert told her, impatiently shifting between his feet.

"Okay." Belle said showing him a smile before Albert jerked away from her to the door. She watched him enter the room and close the door after himself. Clutching her coat in front of herself, Belle ambled down the corridor, hoping she would bump into Rumald.

The corridor was filled with excited chatter, the odd painful scream and distant babies crying. Looking at the different faces she passed in the corridor, Belle smiled thinking one day she would be in one of these rooms preparing to give birth, while Rumald hovered over her holding her hand as he told her everything was going to be all right and she was beautiful. The image of them warmed her heart, while she pressed her hand over her stomach.

Her eyes were drawn to the stretch of windows she approached, where a few people were stood pointing their fingers at the glass. She slowed her pace to a stop at the glass and viewed the sea of babies on the other side of the glass. Most of the babies were either reaching out of their plastic tubs or wailing for their mothers. One of the babies that was peacefully asleep caught Belle's eye. Contently sighing, Belle shouldered up against the glass and observed the sleeping baby.

"Hello." His accent crooned in her ear as his arms surrounded her, engulfing her into a hug, whilst he rested his chin down onto her shoulder.

"Missed you." Belle leant her head against his, pressing their cheeks together.

Rumald angled his head to kiss her cheek and returned his chin back to her shoulder. "Missed you too."

"How was your boy's weekend?" She asked splaying her hands on top of his, which were clasped over her stomach.

"Muddy." Rumald replied. "Spent nearly all of Saturday out on the quad bikes. Got covered head to toe."

Belle smiled at the image, as he asked. "How was your weekend?"

She thought about it, as she said. "Friday night became girl's night at our house." He nodded his head. "Drank plenty of wine and went through a box of old photos of you."

"Of me?" Rumald frowned at her.

"Yeah." Belle twisted her head to see him out the corner of her eye. "Must have been from your late teens, early twenties."

"Must have been one of the boxes sent over after aunt Josey died." He surmised and settled his chin back down onto her shoulder. "So, what do you think?"

"Think about what?" She inquired, enjoying the feel of his unshaven cheek.

Rumald lifted his arm to point at the babies on the other side of the glass. "Of having one of those?"

"I think" Belle twirled round inside his arms and encircled her arms around his neck, feeling breathless for a second at seeing him with a stubble beard. "We should just wait to see what happens."

"Unless I'm mistaken, a lot isn't going to happen with you on the pill." His brow pressed down heavily over his eyes, his irritation evident on his face.

"Don't be like that. I just think we've got Christmas coming up, a wedding to plan and whatever else might… happen." She told him and tiptoed up to kiss his lips.

He opened his mouth to say something, when Albert shoulder barged into his father, interrupting them. "I want to go home. Take me home. I want to go home now!"

Rumald's face changed to a look of puzzlement, as he said. "Sure… Okay."

"What's wrong?" Belle asked after Albert, while they both watched him stomp off down the corridor. They shared a look pulling apart from each other. Forgetting their conversation, Rumald gently grasped her hand and tugged her in the direction Albert had gone, leading her through the corridor littered with family members and pregnant women. She swallowed hard, hoping it had not been Milah, who had upset Albert. But she knew it was, as she tried her best to keep up with Rumald's longer strides.


	81. Chapter 81

The cold breeze nipped at the back of Belle's legs as she held her coat tight around herself, her face buried in the woolly scarf wrapped around her neck with a red matching woolly hat pulled down over her head. The temperature was dropping and many of the Storybrooke residents were foreseeing snow would be falling soon. Belle doubted it, but she agreed the temperature was definitely getting colder whilst she walked from the library to the local doctors office. Her appointment had not been for another half an hour, so she had thought a slow walk to the doctors, would give her time to calm her nerves and kill some time out of her day.

As she turned at the corner of the street, the doctors office came into view a short distance down the street. Her early thought of quelling her nerves by walking was destroyed with a new wave of nervousness hitting her. A part of her wished she had let Rumald in on what was happening, needing his strength and comfort as she strode down the sidewalk. But she wanted to be sure. She wanted a definitive answer before she sat him down and told him he was going to be a father again. She hated that the three tests Mary-Margaret had bought had not be more helpful. One had said she was not, one had not changed and the other indicated she was pregnant. Foreseeing the excitement on his face and then the devastation of her not being pregnant was something she could not bear to see.

Family meant too much to Rumald to toy with him.

Snapping her head side to side, Belle checked the coast was clear and crossed the street to the other side. She looked up to the clear blue sky, trying to understand how the sun could be shining so bright, yet it be so cold. With that thought in mind, her thoughts went to Albert. She breathed heavily at the memory of the drive home from the hospital.

He had sat in the backseat of the Cadillac with his arms crossed over his chest, and had stared out of his car window at the passing scenery, while he ignored Belle and Rumald's attempts to get him to talk. When they had arrived home, Albert had been out of the car before Rumald had chance to put the car into park and disappeared into the house and into his bedroom for the rest of the day. Gladius had arrived not long after they had arrived home. It was clear the older woman was furious and concerned, as she had explained what had happened in Milah's room at the hospital. As they had listened to how Milah had ignored Albert and had called the baby 'precious', 'special' and had confessed how much she loved her new son, Belle had held onto Rumald's hand in a lame attempt in keeping him grounded.

It had surprised Belle how calm Rumald had stayed. With a snide remark about his ex-wife, Rumald had left Gladius and Belle in the living room and had gone upstairs to try to talk to Albert. After a short five minutes, Rumald had returned downstairs looking tired, followed down the stairs by the loud music Albert had put on, a booming base shook the house. Albert's sour mood was still present, when the three of them had sat down to breakfast that morning. Albert had refused any kind of conversation, blocking his ears with his earphones. His music had been loud enough that Belle was able to clearly hear the lyrics.

Taking in a controlled breath, Belle breathed it slowly out through her nose as she pulled open the door to the doctors office. The warmth from inside ushered her into the building and soothed her cold legs, while the door closed behind her. Her eyes wandered around the entrance way and the waiting area, recognising a few faces from when she worked at Grannies and from the library. She crossed to the large woman sat at the receptionist desk, whilst she unwrapped her scarf from around her face and neck, leaving it traipsed around her neck and down her chest. The large woman looked up and smiled at Belle, watching her remove her woolly hat and shake out her hair.

"Hi," Belle greeted the other woman with a nervous smile. "I've got an appointment at quarter past two."

The woman checked the appointment list on the computer. "Belle French?" Belle nodded her head. "Take a seat. They'll call you in a bit."

"Okay. Thank you." Belle said turning to the waiting area. Her attention was focused on one of the empty chairs as she headed into the waiting area, far enough from the other patients she did not intrude on their space and where she felt comfortable. She sat down and stowed her hat into her bag, and then removed her scarf and gloves to put them into her bag for safekeeping.

Settling into her seat, her eyes roamed over the posters that decorated the waiting area, informing the patients of common medical issues and local events happening in the town. She smiled spotting one of the flyers for the library, advertising the last evening event they held at the library. As she began to ponder over the upcoming event, which Janice was organising, thinking of ideas to suggest to Janice, a phone began to shrill disturbing the uncomfortable silence of the waiting area. Everyone in the waiting area looked at themselves and then at each other, casting an accusing look at each other.

It took a second or two for Belle to realise it was her own phone and dug it out of her bag, cursing her hat and scarf as she struggled to find her phone. Smiling apologetically at everyone, she pulled her phone out of her bag and answered it without looking, wanting to throw her phone across the room. She held herself back from breaking her phone and held it against her ear.

"Hello." Belle said into the phone, meeting the eyes who were staring at her.

"Hey, sweetheart." Hearing Rumald's voice, she closed her eyes and smiled broadly.

"Hey, you." She responded in a softer tone.

"Where're you?" He asked. "I just popped into the library to see you to be told you've gone out for an hour."

Rubbing a hand over her brow, Belle replied to him. "Oh… Well, things were quiet in the library, so I thought I'd go for a wander."

Rumald chuckled down the phone at her. "You're wandering around town?"

"Yeah, why not?" Belle asked lowering her hand from her brow and opened her eyes to find everyone still looking at her.

"Have I told you lately, you're weird?" He asked jokingly.

She pouted her lips as she said. "Was there a reason behind your visit?"

"Not really." He said. "Just really wanted to see you."

"Awe…" Belle gushed and felt a rush of warmth to her cheeks.

"Hey, no awing me! I've got a reputation to maintain!" Rumald told her sternly, a humorous tone to his voice.

Belle smiled. "We wouldn't want to harm your reputation, Mr Gold."

She heard him take in a breath. "Be glad, Miss French, that you're not stood in front of me using that tone."

"Oh, but Mr Gold," She said to him, watching a door open across the way and a nurse come out of the room to go to the receptionist. "I'd quite happily use this tone in front of you. Would you like me to drop by your shop on my way back to prove it?"

"You have been warned about teasing me, dearie." He told her as the nurse called out Belle's full name into the waiting area. Belle's eyes widened at the nurse calling her name and at whether Rumald had heard the nurse.

"Hold onto that thought and I'll come by and see you in a bit." Belle informed him, grabbing her bag from beside her, and stood up from her chair. "Love you." She did not wait for him to reply and ended the call, smiling at the nurse stood on the other side of the waiting area with a clipboard held up in front of her. As she manoeuvred her way through the waiting area to the nurse, Belle felt guilty putting her phone to silent and put it into her bag.

"Miss French?" The nurse questioned when Belle was nearer.

"Yes." Belle nodded her head and followed the nurse into the room, stepping out of the way so the nurse could close the door after her.

The nurse read the clipboard as she headed to the swivel chair at the desk. "It says here, you're booked in for a pregnancy test."

"Yes, I am." Belle said taking the empty chair near the desk, while the nurse lifted the page to look at the page underneath as she sat down onto the swivel chair.

"Have you done any pregnancy tests?" The nurse asked looking up from the clipboard to Belle, offering a reassuring smile.

"We did three of them on Friday." Belle explained. "One didn't work, one said I was and the other said I wasn't."

The nurse giggled. "I bet you and your husband have been biting your fingernails all weekend."

"Yeah… something like that." Belle squirmed in her chair, looking at the vacant chair next to her, where Rumald should have been sat offering her reassurance.

"Well, it's simple enough." The nurse twirled on the chair and turned back offering Belle a plastic cup. "If you could provide me a sample in this cup, then I can perform a pregnancy test for you."

Belle slowly took the plastic cup from the nurse. "Bathroom?"

"Out of here, turn left, go pass reception and it'll be the third door on your right." The nurse said absently indicating the directions with her hand, while she made a note to the form on the clipboard.

"Okay." Belle collected her bag and carried the offending item out of the room, closing the door behind her. The eyes watching her in the waiting room held her, patiently waiting their turn to see the doctor and the nurse. Hesitantly Belle moved away from the door to the nurse's office and followed the woman's directions, finding the bathroom with no problems.

She held the half-filled plastic container between her thumb and forefinger, repulsed by it, as she carried it back to the nurse's office. Pausing at the nurse's office door, Belle rapped her knuckles softly on the door and opened the door when she heard the nurse's muffled voice say 'come in'. The nurse smiled and gestured for Belle to take a seat again, and held her hand out for the container. Belle handed the container over to the nurse and sat down.

"It won't take long." The nurse said getting up and went to workstation on the opposite wall. "I was trying to figure out where I've seen you before."

Belle's eyebrows rose up her forehead. "I worked in Grannies for a few months, but I run the library now."

"Probably Grannies. I don't think I've ever set foot in the library." The nurse told Belle, opening a draw to take out a plain white box.

"Grannies is the heart of the town." Belle said with a fond smile, remembering the fun and conversations she and Ruby had with the regular customers.

The other woman peered over her shoulder at Belle, while she removed the pregnancy test from the plain box. "I have to say, I'm a sucker for Grannies pancakes."

Belle nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, I always have Grannies pancakes when we have breakfast at Grannies."

"Who's you're husband?" The nurse asked turning her attention to opening the sample pot Belle had given her.

"Oh, I'm not married." Belle said scrunching her eyebrows together and then relaxed her brow as a smile pushed at her cheeks. "We're engaged though."

"Sorry, I just assumed you were. It's getting confusing these days. I've had a few women come in, who've kept their maiden names and the title Miss." The nurse apologised as she put the pregnancy test into Belle's sample.

Waving a dismissive hand, Belle said. "Don't worry about. I didn't even notice." She paused in thought. "It's nice thinking of him as my husband."

"Okay, then." The nurse started to say, showing Belle a smile. "Who's your fiancé then?"

Belle sucked in a breath, preparing herself for the usual reaction to mentioning Rumald's name to someone, and said. "Mr Gold."

"That's my landlord." The nurse declared.

"He's most people's landlord." Belle stated, still waiting for the look of horror.

Clicking the lid back onto Belle's sample, the nurse said. "Does he ever smile?"

"What?" She frowned at the nurse, watching the other woman come back to her desk and sit down, bringing the pregnancy test with her.

"The few times I've seen him," The nurse said laying the stick onto her desk. "He never smiles. Always serious."

Belle laughed. "Yeah, he does." Her conversation with Rumald in the waiting area came to mind and added. "But don't tell everyone, he's got a reputation to maintain."

"Just means I'll try that much harder the next time I see him, to get him to smile." The nurse shared with Belle, her eyes on the pregnancy test.

Smiling at the image of the nurse trying to get Rumald to smile, Belle missed the nurse picking up the pregnancy test until the other woman said. "I guess I won't have to try so hard next time I see him."

"Why's that?" Belle asked forgetting why she there, enjoying the rare occasion where someone did not go silent after finding out she was with Rumald.

"Somebody's gonna be a daddy!" The nurse held the test for Belle to see the pink plus in the small window. "Congrats!"


	82. Chapter 82

The news was still sinking in as Belle walked down the sidewalk, her attention solely on the hand covering her lower stomach on top of her thick winter coat. The nurse had drawn a sample of blood from Belle, gushing her congratulations, and had said she would receive further confirmation in a day or two, but was confident it would come back the same. They always did, the nurse told Belle, handing her some leaflets. Belle had filed the leaflets into her bag, pulled on her hat and wrapped her scarf around her neck before she left the nurse's office speechless. The only way she had communicated with the nurse after the news was a simple nod or shake of her head. Now she had to try and find her voice on the way to Rumald's shop.

Up ahead, the intersection in front of the library was coming into view, while the butterflies in her stomach swarmed. All Belle could think was how she was going to tell him. It was a simple thing: 'Hey, Rumald. I'm pregnant!'. It should have been that simple. It could be that simple. However, as she came to the corner of the intersection and stood in front of the library doors, her eyes on his shop front, Belle bit down hard into her lower lip.

Belle knew his reaction would not be bad. He would be over the moon. Logically she could not think why she was so apprehensive about telling him. Her imagination showed her exactly what he would do, much like the funny clips the girls had drunkenly awed over on Friday night. Rumald would be like many of the father's in the clips, disbelieving the news before it finally sunk in and gave way to the happy tears. The thought made her smile, while she stared across the street at his shop, and told herself mentally to be brave. She was not facing a beast. It was her sweet Rumald, who would do anything and everything to make her happy. To make his family happy.

Shifting the strap of her bag further onto her shoulder, Belle took a purposeful step forward and crossed the intersection. His shop held her gaze as she walked across the street and began up the sidewalk pass his neighboring shops. She stumbled a step but carried on to his shop, telling herself to stop being foolish. The growing weight of her nerves made no sense to her. He wanted this. He wanted more, he had told her so. So where were her nerves coming from?

Not wanting to lose momentum, Belle opened the shop door and entered with the bell jangling above her head. The smell of furniture polish and of old things swamped her upon entering the shop. She scanned the interior of the shop for Rumald, slowing her gaze over the glass counters, in case he was about to pop up from behind one. Closing the door behind herself, the bell let out a dull jangle to the door being closed and went silent.

"Don't play coy with me!" Belle heard a feminine voice from the back room of Rumald's shop. "You had something to do with it! I know you did!"

Moving through the shop to the curtained doorway, Belle peeped round the edge of the tied back curtains to see Rumald stood at one of his workbenches with Mayor Mills opposite him. "Don't you think I have enough to occupy my time with? Then trying to undermine some building project of your mother's?"

"Oh my god! It was you that instigated the emergency meeting last week!" Mayor Mills pointed her finger accusingly at Rumald.

"I did no such thing." Rumald shook his head, frowning at Mayor Mills accusation. "I believe you'll find it was Marco."

Mayor Mills threw her hand to the side, gesturing wildly. "So, if I go to Marco and ask him, why he called the meeting, he's going to say it was all his idea?"

"Hang on, dearie." Rumald leant onto the workbench and smirked at the Mayor. "I believe you'll find Marco called the meeting because a business man came to him with a business deal. Now," He placed his hand on his chest. "I did not approach Marco. Whatever deal Marco has with this man is his business."

In a rush, Mayor Mills swept some of the papers and antiques off the workbench. "We had a deal!"

"Yes! We had a deal!" Rumald snarled. "Like I told your mother, as I was peeling her grubby hands off me, until that money was in my hand, I held the right to sell the land to whoever gave me the money first!"

"Yes, of course! After all this time of having our deal, suddenly someone else was interested in it, even though you weren't advertising it." Mayor Mills titled her head and held her hands on her hips, waiting for Rumald's reply.

Rumald smirked, tugging down his waistcoat. "Who said I wasn't advertising it?"

"Seriously!" Mayor Mills cried, throwing her hands up from her hips.

"Maybe not officially, but if someone shows an interest in something, then I'm going to hear them out. I wouldn't be good at business, if I didn't." Rumald clasped his hands in front of him.

"You're a bastard!" Mayor Mills stated.

Rumald chuckled. "Dearie, you're going to need better material, if you think I haven't been called worse."

Mayor Mills pointed her finger at him. "You wait, Rumald! I'll get you back for this!"

The knowing smile Rumald gave Mayor Mills stilled the fluttering butterflies in Belle's stomach, as she clamped her teeth down onto her lower lip, listening as he said. "Regina," His smile widened after using her given name. "I look forward to you trying."

The Mayor let out a loud exasperated breath turning away from Rumald and stomped her way out of the back of the shop, and brushed by Belle, eyeing Belle head to toe as she strode pass her. Belle followed her with her eyes, twisting to watch the other woman yank open the shop door and slam it behind herself. The bell above the door screamed from the force, jangling in different directions, threatening to fall from where it hung in protest.

"Sweetheart," Belle turned back to the curtained doorway to see Rumald on the other side, smiling that the smile he kept in reserve for her. "I thought I heard the bell earlier. Cup of tea?"

Belle nodded her head. "Please."

Rumald held his hand out to her and waited for her to take hold of his hand. The offer of physical contact was welcomed as she took hold of his hand, tightly squeezing his fingers. His strength eased through her hand and into her, comforting her, whilst she followed him further into the back room. He kept his smile, beaming it over his shoulder at her, and led them over to the sideboard where the kettle lived, and flicked on the kettle when it was in reaching distance. The kettle began to make noises as Rumald pivoted round to face Belle and used their clasped hands to bring her closer, allowing him to put his arms around her.

"Enjoy your walk?" Rumald asked before kissing her soft cheek.

Belle scrunched her eyebrows at him. "Walk?"

He gave her a quizzical look as he said. "On the phone, you said you went for a wander around town."

"Oh, yeah!" Belle let out a nervous giggle. "I did, didn't I?"

His eyebrows rose at her. "I take it that you didn't go for a walk, then?"

"Kinda…" She muttered squirming under the pointed look he was giving her.

"Where were you then?" He asked with deep lines forming across his forehead.

The kettle clicked signaling it had boiled behind Rumald and gave Belle an excuse for a chance to think. "Make a cup of tea and we'll sit down and discuss it."

Belle saw the lines on his forehead draw even darker as he said. "Discuss what?"

"Make the tea." She gave him a reassuring smile and ran her hand down the side of his face, her heart pulsated at him closing his eyes and relaxing under her touch.

"Okay." He said in a whisper, his eyes remained closed until Belle's fingertips trailed off his face. His chest puffed out at the deep breath he breathed in and slowly released through his nose as he turned away from her to make the tea.

With him occupied, Belle unbuttoned her coat and removed her hat whilst she made her way over to one of the stools by his workbench. Her eyes went to the papers and antiques the Mayor had knocked off the bench. She stuffed her hat into her bag and then removed her scarf to deposit into her bag as well, noting the different items on the floor. After discarding her bag to the workbench, Belle stooped down and collected the papers into a stack, while she reached up to put the different items back onto the bench.

"Sweetheart, you don't need to do that." Rumald told her coming over to the workbench to put their drinks onto it.

"It's fine." Belle told him, tapping the bottom of the stack on the floor to straighten the papers. "I've done it now.

He helped her up with a gentle hand under her elbow. "I would've done it."

"I know." She said putting the papers onto the bench.

Rumald shook his head at her. "Anyway, come on then, I've made the tea."

Belle hopped onto a stool and hooked the heels of her shoes on the footrest of the stool. "Right… Yes…" She looked up at him and hoped she was giving him what looked like a reassuring smile. "You might… want to sit down for what I've got to tell you."

"Really?" His forehead pressed heavily down over his eyes. "I'm not sure I want to hear this."

"Oh! No! It's not bad, I swear!" Belle hurriedly told him, reaching out to him to lay her hand against his waistcoat covering his stomach. Letting her words sink in, he lifted his chin slightly and gazed down the length of his nose at her. The nerves she had felt on the way to his shop were nothing compared to what she felt, whilst he was considering her with his eyes. In his eyes, Belle could see the long forgotten walls threatening to rebuild their foundations as his mind mulled over the possibilities of what they were about to discuss.

Her hand fell from his stomach when he took a step away from her and grabbed the stool from the other side of the workbench, where he normally sat and worked, and placed it down behind himself to sit in front of her, as he said. "The last time someone told me it wasn't bad, it cost me a fortune."

"Seriously?" Belle asked intrigued and was thankful for a distraction.

"Yes," He said settling onto the stool and yanked at the bottom of his waistcoat. "It's what the divorce lawyer told me before telling me what Milah's terms were."

She blinked at her disbelief. "Her terms? But she left you…?"

"Yes, but as we all know, Milah likes to twist things to her advantage and I wanted a quick divorce. Letting her have half of my fortune at the time was nothing." A wicked smile came over his face. "Especially as I tripled it since then."

"I really don't understand how she manages to get her own way." Belle began to vent. "She always get her own way. Whether it's money or people. She needs a kick up her backside. How she was ever able to walk away from you and Bae, I'll never know." She paused in thought before carrying on. "Though, like I've said, I'm grateful the stupid bitch didn't realised how incredible you and Bae were, otherwise, we wouldn't be together. Although…" Belle's mind wandered. "Seeing how much I was pulled to you… Would we have ended up having an affair…? No… Neither of us of like that. But…"

"Belle!" Rumald squeezed her knee with a goofy smile on his face. "Stop."

"Sorry." She coyly smiled her apology at him.

He shook his head from side to side at her and breathed heavily through his nose, and said. "What have you got to tell me?"

The question hung in the air. The answer sat on the tip of her tongue as she gazed at him.

With the moment hanging in the air between them, Belle drank in the sight of him, exploring every line and scar on his face. The battle scars of hard-lived life. The experiences written on his face had made him, the man sat before her. She reached up to his face and stroked her thumb over his smooth cheek, smiling at the man who meant more to her than taking her next breath.

Nervously she bit into her lower lip whilst she lowered her hand from his face to pick up one of his hands, and cradled it between her hands. Rumald squinted at their hands and then up at her face, meeting her gaze.

"You remember when you went to Scotland?" Belle said to him, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand.

He scoffed. "How could I forget?"

"Right, well…" She paused to think over her words. "You weren't here."

"Evidently, as I went to Scotland." Rumald told her with a bemused smile, threatening to tug at the corner of his lips.

Belle nodded her head to acknowledge his statement and said. "And my morning routine got messed up."

"Okay…" He muttered titling his head to the side, as though seeing it from another angle would help his comprehension.

"Then when you came back, I never got back into my old routine." She told him and pressed her lips into a tight line, struggling to stop herself from smiling at him.

His eyebrows knitted into one, when he said. "Is this really what we had to discuss? Your morning routine?" Belle chuckled as he said. "What do you want? Waking up earlier?"

"No, no!" Belle could not help but beam her smile at him.

"Look, dearie," Rumald said to her, his tone curled her toes within her shoes. "I'm thinking the worse over here and patience are beginning to wear thin."

She licked her lips and said. "I've been forgetting to…"

"Mr Gold!" A yell came from the front of the shop with the bell above the door ringing loudly. "MR GOLD!"

"Yes?" Rumald called, frowning in the direction of the doorway to the front of the shop. Turning her head to the doorway, Belle saw Emma flurry through the curtained doorway and slid to a halt just inside the doorway.

"Al!" Emma said breathlessly. "He hasn't been to school today and I can't find him anywhere."

"What?" Rumald questioned standing up from his stool, his hip touched Belle's knee.

Emma held her phone up to lamely show it to him. "I've tried ringing and texting him, but no answer. I've been to the house and he's not there either."

"I dropped him at the school gates this morning." Rumald told her, while he stuffed his hand into his pants pocket and withdrew his phone.

"I don't know where he is." Emma said coming over to them.

Belle smiled softly at Emma. "We'll find him. It's okay."

Rumald held his phone up to his ear, frowning down at the floor as he listened to the ringing. "You've not heard from him all day?"

"No." Emma said clutching her coat around herself.

"He's not answering." Rumald said lowering the phone down from his ear and ended the call. "It rung and went to answer phone."

"He couldn't have gone far." Belle told them, trying to reassure the pair of them.

Rumald looked to Emma. "Was Bae's car in the driveway?"

"Yes." Emma said quickly, her eyes widened following Rumald's train of thought.

"Calm down." Belle instructed looking between the two of them, seeing the tension on their faces. "He couldn't have gone far."

Stepping around his stool, Rumald grabbed his overcoat and quickly fed his arms into it, shrugging it onto his shoulders, while forgetting his suit jacket. "Emma, you'll come with me, we'll go and look for him. Belle," He said pulling at the lapel's of his overcoat. "Can you let Sheriff Graham know?"

"Okay." Belle said not knowing what else to say to him and was taken aback when he quickly kissed her cheek and ushered Emma out of the back door of the shop. Sitting alone in the back room of Rumald's shop, her eyes wandered around her surrounding as she listened to the distinct sound of his Cadillac starting up at the side of his shop. She tried to figure out what had happened, now she had chance to think. One minute she was about to tell him her exciting news, the next he was running out the door with Emma to find Albert.

"God dammit!" She cursed slapping her hand down onto the workbench.


	83. Chapter 83

Pushing open the door to the Sheriff's office, Belle stepped into the reception area and instantly looked to the counter, expecting to find someone staffing the desk. Music was playing in another room signalling someone was about. She closed the door and walked over to the main desk, angling herself to see through the blind covered windows. Placing her hands on the counter, Belle leant forward over the counter trying to get a better view into the offices beyond the blind covered windows.

"Hello!" Belle called out and intently listened out for any signs someone had heard her. Scowling at the lack of response, she looked over the counter at the desk and then along the counter finding nothing that would help her call whoever was supposed to be on duty or indicated where they had gone. She rolled her eyes remarking to herself how nothing was going her way that afternoon, whilst she delved into her bag to fish out her phone. As Belle unlocked her phone and selected to call Sheriff Graham's number, she unhooked her bag from her forearm and placed it onto the counter.

Leaning against the counter, she held her phone to her ear and waited patiently for the Sheriff to answer. A frown drew Belle's forehead down over her eyes as she listened to the ringing from her phone and heard a phone start to call out to its owner. The phone was ringing from the direction of the offices behind the blind covered windows. Her face twisted as she tried to figure out why Sheriff Graham's phone was there and he was nowhere to be seen. Giving up on calling him, Belle ended the call and flicked through her contacts to call Rumald. She was about to press call on Rumald's number, when Belle paused hearing a click and muffled thud. Through the blinds, she saw Sheriff Graham appear and strode to his office at the back of the room.

"Sheriff Graham!" Belle called out to him. The Sheriff stumbled through the doorway of his office and spun round to see where the voice had come from.

"Miss French?" Sheriff Graham questioned, peering across the room.

Belle breathed heavily, thankful he had turned up, and said. "Yes, Sheriff. Albert Gold is missing."

"Missing?" He asked moving through the desks to come through the doorway to stand behind the reception desk.

"Yes, missing." Belle said to him, hearing a door open and close. "Rumald dropped him off at school this morning, but Emma said he wasn't at school today and he's not answering his phone."

Sheriff Graham slanted his head to the side, lifting his eyebrows slightly. "I take it things are good at home, between you and Mr Gold?"

"What? Yes! Of course they are!" It offended her that he would ask her such a question.

"Sorry, but I have to ask." Sheriff Graham said shrugging his shoulders at her. "When kids run away, it's mostly because there's a conflict at home."

"If anybody has upset him, it would be the pathetic woman who gave birth to him." Belle stated to him, watching his eyes widen at her annoyed tone. Her eyes were fixed on Sheriff Graham as she heard heels click on the linoleum floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Belle caught sight of a woman coming from the direction she had seen Sheriff Graham appear.

"That was just what I needed." The woman purred coming through the doorway behind the Sheriff. "Will I see you to… Miss French, I'm starting to think you're following me around town."

"Miss French is here on official business, Ma'am Mayor." Sheriff Graham told the Mayor over his shoulder.

Belle forced a smile at Mayor Mills and said. "Believe me. I've got more important things to do than follow you around."

"I'm sure you do, like being a pawn for your dearest Mr Gold." Mayor Mills commented slipping by Sheriff Graham to walk out from behind the counter. Turning her nose up at Belle, Mayor Mills sauntered by Belle with a sweet sickly smelling perfume wafting after her. Belle twisted her face away from the smell of the perfume, irritated that the Mayor would imply that Rumald was using her. What she implied was so far was the truth, Belle would have normally laughed if she were not worried about Albert.

The door opened behind her as Mayor Mills said. "Come by later, Graham. I'll cook you something special."

"Okay." Sheriff Graham said and briefed a smile at Mayor Mills as she left closing the door after herself.

Hearing the door close, Belle looked to Sheriff Graham. "I didn't realise you two were an item."

"We're not." Sheriff Graham told her, bracing his hands on top of his utility belt.

"Sounds like you are." Belle said placing her hands on the edge of the counter.

"We're not. Far from it." The Sheriff informed her crossing his arms over his chest. "Does anyone know where Albert would've gone?"

Her thoughts went back to Albert and paused to think where Albert might have gone. "I'm not sure. There're a few places he would've gone."

"I take it as you're here that Mr Gold has gone looking for him?" Sheriff Graham asked collecting his leather jacket off the back of the chair on the other side of the counter.

"Yes and he's got Emma with him." Belle told him, watching him put on his jacket as he walked around the counter to join her.

"Has his mother been notified?" Sheriff Graham inquired straightening his jacket.

"I would think that would be the last thing on Rumald's mind." She said to him and added. "He's been keeping contact with her to a minimum, seeing as she's still got that stupid restraining order against him."

Sheriff Graham gestured for Belle to follow him out of the station, saying. "I'll go over there now and see if, perhaps, Milah's seen or heard from him."

"I doubt it." Belle commented grabbing her bag from the counter and trailed the short distance to the door with Sheriff Graham. "But he could've gone there to confront her."

He opened the door for her. "Has anyone checked the house?"

"Emma went there earlier and said he wasn't there." She told him stepping out into the cold and pivoted to face the Sheriff, as he came out of the station and closed the door to lock it.

"I'd suggest someone go home then, in case he turns up there." The Sheriff suggested to her over his shoulder. "Don't want everyone out looking for him, when he might have gone home since Emma checked."

Belle nodded her head at him. "I'll head home, once I've checked that no one at Grannies has seen him."

"Let me know, if someone has." Sheriff Graham instructed her and walked to the police car parked at the kerb. She clutched her coat closed and spun round on the heel of her foot, and set off in the direction of Grannies. Belle glanced back to see the Sheriff pull away from the kerb, while she crossed the street to Grannies.

The blind on the door to Grannies clattered as Belle opened it and stepped into Grannies, looking for Ruby or Granny as she entered. The chorus of chatter stopped for a second, when everyone looked up from their meals to see who had entered Grannies. Belle chose to push forward and quickly went to the serving window at the back of the dining area, aware of the whispers passing between patrons as they observed her movements. The usual 'she's engaged to Mr Gold' floated above the hushed whispers and was followed by the short gasp.

As she approached the serving window, Belle glanced round at the diners and met some of the their gawking gazes before they snapped their heads back to meals. She rolled her eyes and inclined herself to lean through the serving window, looking for Ruby or Granny in the kitchen. When she saw Ruby stood at the dishwasher, stacking it with dirty plates and cutlery, she was relieved to see her friend.

"Ruby!" Belle called. The plates clattered, at the same time, Ruby twisted to see Belle through the serving window.

"Hey, you!" Ruby wiped her hands down the front of her apron and came over to the serving window. "Did you make an appointment at the doctors?"

"Yes, but that's not why I'm here." Belle waved her hand dismissively at Ruby's question. "Have you seen Bae today?"

Ruby's eyebrows pressed down over her eyes, as she said. "Al? No… I don't think so." Twirling round, she looked at something out of Belle's view. "Granny, have you seen Al today?"

"Al? Mr Gold's son?" Granny's disembodied voice questioned. "No, I don't think he's been in today."

"Sorry, Belle." Ruby said turning back to face Belle.

Belle shook her head stepping back from the serving window, as she said. "If you see him, can you let me know?"

"Yeah, course. Why? What's up?" Ruby questioned already untying her apron from around her waist.

"He's missing. Rumald dropped him at school this morning, but Emma says he hasn't been to school all day. He's not answering his phone either." Belle explained as Ruby came through the door from the kitchen to join her in the dining area.

Ruby frowned at Belle's statement and then turned her attention to diners in the room, asking. "Has anybody seen Albert Gold today?"

There was a communal muttering of no's and shaking of heads. Belle glanced round at the diners, wondering whether anyone in the room was telling them the truth. A few of the diners met her gaze, while others quickly casted their eyes down at their food. She was very sure, if she had been asking about someone else's child, they would have been volunteering to go out looking for them. Instead, everyone looked more interested in their lunch.

"I'll help you look." Ruby said with her face showing her disgust with the diners. A small smile tugged at the corners of Belle's lips, grateful for her friend's help. Ducking back into the kitchen for a second, Ruby reappeared pulling on her coat and gestured for Belle to lead the way out of Grannies.

"Has anyone check the docks and the pier?" Ruby asked buttoning up her coat.

"Don't know." Belle replied over her shoulder to Ruby as she shoved open the door to Grannies.

The two exited Grannies and descended the steps from the porch, whilst Ruby said. "I'll take a walk down there. I'll let you know, if I find him."

"Okay." Belle said smiling at her friend again. "Thank you, Ruby. I really do appreciate your help. Especially as everyone in there, were so eager to help find Bae."

"Hey," Ruby placed a hand on Belle's arm and the two stopped on the sidewalk, outside of Grannies fenced area. "Don't worry about them. I'll find you some more troops and we'll find him."

Sighing through her nose, Belle's shoulders dropped as she said. "I'm going to head home in case he turns up there."

Flashing a wide smile at Belle, Ruby strolled off in the direction of the harbour, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Belle watched Ruby until her friend got to the next intersection and crossed it, and then set off on her way home.

Her eyes combed the neighbourhoods, hoping to spot Albert on her way home. Now left to her own thoughts, Belle grumbled about Milah to herself, cursing the woman for all the trouble she causes. The woman did not deserve the honour of calling herself Albert's mother. Not when Rumald had done the majority of raising Albert to be a fine young man, who cared more about other people than himself. Thinking of how Milah discarded Albert and how oblivious she was to the hurt she caused him, encouraged Belle to quicken her step, wanting to find Albert as soon as she could.

Belle detoured through the local park on the way home and had a flutter of hope, when she had seen someone sat hunched over on the swings. Hesitantly she got closer to them, but realised when she was near enough that it was not Albert. The young boy had looked up at Belle, hearing her footsteps close in, which was when Belle offered him a small smile and carried on following the path to the other side of the park.

The closer she got to the home, the more she fretted about Albert.

A few doors down from the house, Belle dug into her bag and retrieved her keys. She scraped her heel taking the turning to walk up the path to the front porch. Her keys clinked and jangled, as she fingered through her keys for the library and for home, selecting the front door key. Climbing the porch steps, Belle held the front door key ready between her thumb and forefinger and held it ready to slide into the front door lock. With the tip of the key inside the lock, Belle stopped and frowned, listening to the muffled music in the air. She pushed the key all the way into the lock, whilst she angled herself to look distantly round at the neighbourhood, unable to distinct where the music was coming from.

She entered the house and shivered at the warmth of the house chasing the cold away from her. Closing the door behind her, Belle discarded her bag to sit on top of the pile of shoes under the hung coats and tossed her keys into her bag. Belle paused listening to the music thud through the house. She deducted it must have been one of the neighbours and removed her scarf and hat to stuff them into the pockets of her coat, and shrugged off her winter coat to hang on a coat peg. Bending over, Belle retrieved her phone from inside her bag and unlocked it whilst she trailed off into the kitchen. As she crossed the kitchen to the kettle, Belle selected Rumald's number and pressed to call him as she clicked the kettle on to boil.

He answered on the second ring. "Gold."

"Hey." Belle greeted as she leant back against the counter. "Sheriff Graham has gone to see if Milah's seen him."

Rumald chuckled down the phone. "Yeah, right. Okay. Rather him than me."

"Ruby's checking the docks and the pier." Belle informed him, pinching her phone between her face and her shoulder, allowing her to select a cup from the cupboard above the kettle and dropped a tea bag into it.

"Okay." Rumald said. "We've gone round some of places the kids tend to hang out and no one's seen him. So we're going to head to a place in the woods, Bae and Emma used to go to when they were younger."

"I'm at home. Sheriff Graham suggested one of us should stay at home, in case he turns up here." She told him taking hold of her phone to pour the water from the kettle into her cup after the kettle boiled.

"I hope he does." Rumald shared with her. "I can't bear to think that he's ran away."

Belle slumped against the counter, as she said. "He'll turn up."

"We'll see." He said distantly.

"Try not to worry." Belle urged. "He's not stupid. He'll come home."

"Let me know if he does." Rumald told her.

"I will." She told him and added. "I love you."

Belle heard him breathe in deeply before he said. "Love you too, sweetheart."

Belle heard him end the call and dropped her phone away from her ear, and locked it whilst she picked up her cup of tea. With her phone in her other hand, she took them to the breakfast table and sat down, while she pondered over where the music was coming from. It sounded close, but she had never known the neighbours to play their music so loud that she could hear it thud against the walls of the house. She gazed towards the window, which looked out over the driveway, as she placed her phone and cup of tea down onto the table.

Bringing her gaze back to the table, Belle pondered over, for the millionth time, where Albert could possibly be as she picked up her cup of tea to take a cautious sip from it. The more she thought about Albert, the more she remembered the possible thoughts going through his head. She was not a stranger to wanting to run away from her problems and from the things that hurt her. Somewhere Albert was trying to decide whether to come home or to run as fast as his legs could carry him. There had been many times, when she had found herself sat at a local bus stop waiting for the next bus, telling herself to get onto the next bus. Her plan was always to ride the bus to its last destination and then take another bus, riding that one as well to its final destination, just to get as far as she could away from her father. The stress of living with his gambling, his drinking and his carelessness with money would drown her to the point where she could not breathe. By the time the bus would arrive, her fear of being alone would make her lose her nerve and she would begin the slow trek home dragging her feet as she went home.

She let out a heavy sigh and took another sip from her tea. The music dragged her attention back to the window again, when the beat changed to a slow, steady thud. Placing her cup down onto the table, Belle decided to get up and investigate the music thudding against the house. The chair scrapped across the wooden floor as she stood up and sidestepped out from the breakfast table to go to the patio doors.

Edging one of the patio doors open, Belle shuddered at the cold rushing through the gap between the doors and held her breath, listening to the music whispering through the air. It seemed louder out the back of the house, compared to what she had heard at the front of the house. Intrigued she stepped out onto the patio and closed the door behind her, and listened intently as she steadily moved towards the garage. The nearer she got to the garage, the louder the music became. Frowning Belle approached the side door of the garage and twisted the doorknob pushing open the door, increasing the volume of the music. She ducked her head through the gap and found Albert sat on the floor, his back against the workbench that stretched along the back wall of the garage, with several empty bottles of beer scattered around him.

"Bae!" Belle exclaimed slipping into the garage and closed the door, blocking out the cold.

"Hey-ho!" Albert sang, raising the bottle of beer, he held in his hand, into the air.

"What are you doing?" She asked counting the bottles around him.

Albert waved his free hand through the air, saying. "Taking a heaf out of my father's hook."

"A leaf out of your father's book?" Belle clarified with her eyebrows pushing up her forehead.

"Yep!" He dropped his arms down, chinking the bottom of the bottle of beer on the concrete floor of the garage. Nodding her head, she stepped over his legs and went to the stereo on the workbench to turn it down.

"Oh, 'eally!" Albert cried. "I was 'istening to 'hat!"

"I'm sure you were, along with everyone else in the street." She said to him, looking down at him on the floor.

He swigged from the bottle of beer and discarded it to the floor to join the other empty bottles, as he said. "Not 'ike they ain't used to it."

Belle could not help but smile her amusement at Albert. "Well, at least you're not playing the creep song."

"Oh, ho!" He flung his arm through the air and dropped it to the floor. "Never!"

"Not so much a leaf out of your father's book, then?" She asked him, crossing her arms over her chest.

Albert grinned up at her. "Spitting emage I am." He clumsily pointed to himself. "Mum says I'm 'ust like my dad."

"That is probably, the only thing your mother and me will ever agree upon." Belle informed him as she sat down onto the floor beside him.

As Belle straightened her skirt and crossed her legs over each other, Albert slumped over to her, bumping their shoulders together, as he said. "Maybe 'hat's why she don't 'ike me or want me."

She angled her head to see him beside her and looked into his drunken eyes. "It's got nothing to do with you or your father."

"Well, I 'ow 'hat!" He flung his hand up and dropped it down into his lap as he spoke. "She's got a new 'amily! She don't want nut-ing to do wit' me!"

Belle rolled her eyes at Albert. "Bae, that's not what I meant."

"It o'ay." Albert patted his hand down on her thigh. "I'm 'etting used to it, so I'll be 'eady when you 'tart having babies."

"What?" She questioned frowning at him.

"It 'ike Jake said. His parents reharried and 'ad more kids. Now he can do what-heather he wants and his parents don't 'are." He explained, gesturing his hands sloppily through the air in front of him.

"That isn't going to happen, Bae. We love you too much to ever do that to you." Belle told him, taking hold of his hand nearest her.

"Don't 'orry 'bout it." Albert squeezed her hand.

Shaking her head at him, she insisted. "Bae, you're drunk, you're not thinking straight."

"I'm not 'unk!" He protested waving their joined hands into the air.

"Oh, yes, you are." She smiled at him, bringing their hands back down to her lap.

He shook his head. "I'm not!"

Belle sucked in her lower lip and bit into it, smirking her amusement as she asked. "Have you eaten today?"

"'Ope." Albert said slumping his head back to rest against the workbench.

"Right." She said slapping her free hand on the back of his hand held in her hand. "Let's go into the house and I'll make you something to eat."

"No, I 'ike it out 'ere." He lulled his head over and settled with his head resting against Belle's head.

Rubbing her hand over the back of his hand she held in her hand, Belle said. "Bae, it's cold out here. Let's go inside, have something to eat and we can chill upstairs in your room."

"Dad used to 'end nights out here, 'orking on things." Albert shifted closer and pointed randomly around the garage. "I'd come down 'ere when I 'ad a nightmare, and he'd pick me up and 'ell me I 'ad nut-ing to 'orry bout, cus he'd always be 'ere."

"And he always will be." She told him. "And so will I."

Albert began to rub his thumb over the back of Belle's hand. "It o'ay. I unda-stand. Life moves on. You and dad will 'ave kids and I'll be 'orgetten about."

"How could we ever forget about you?" Belle asked him shifting his weight away from her to put her arm around him, guiding him to rest his weight onto her again. "Yes, your father and I have gotten a little wrapped up in each other, but don't ever think we'd forget about you."

Belle smiled leaning her head into his curls, as she said. "It's partly your fault that we're together. If you hadn't let your grades slip then I wouldn't have been tutoring you, and I wouldn't have gotten to see the kinder side of your father."

"All my 'ault!" He mumbled with a wild gesture of his hand.

"It can't all be your fault. Your father and I had something to do with it as well." She added giggling at Albert, who shifted to snuggle further into her.

"It always my 'ault." Albert slurred taking his hand out of her hands and wrapped his arm around her arm, hugging her arm tight against his chest. "It why mum 'eft him."

"She didn't leave him because of you, Bae." Belle told him in a sad tone, whilst she placed her hand on top of his arm wrapped around her arm.

Rubbing his head up and down her arm, getting more comfortable, Albert said. "They were 'appy before me."

"That's not true." She said angling her head to see his face buried into the sleeve of her cardigan.

"I 'uin every-ting." He stated drawing his legs up behind himself.

Belle squeezed her arm around him, inwardly cursing Milah, as she said to him. "No, you don't. Your mother leaving had nothing to do with you or even with your father. Your mother left, because she's too selfish to think of anyone else but herself and her needs."

"And the baby." Albert uttered in a sleepy voice.

"Hey!" Belle bumped her shoulder, rousing Albert. "Don't go to sleep!"

"I'm 'ot!" He protested as he settled back against her shoulder.

"Good, because I can't carry you and I don't want to leave you out here in the garage." She shared with him, even though she was sure he was going to drop off any second with his weight shifting more onto her.

"Don't 'orry about me. No one else does." Albert said to her with his words stabbing deep into her chest.

Her temper flared hearing what he said. "No one worries about you! Are you kidding! Your father, Emma and Ruby are all out looking for you! I would be out there too! If the Sheriff hadn't said someone should be at home!"

He crooked his head back to see her above him as he asked. "'Ot my mother?"

"I don't know." Belle's temper subsided seeing his pleading eyes, the hope that his mother might have at least cared to look for him. "The Sheriff was going to see her and see if you'd been there."

"I was earlier." Albert shared with her, lowering his head so Belle could not see his face.

"You were?" She queried looking down at the top of his head.

He mumbled. "She was 'olding the baby, when she answered the 'oor."

"You spoke to her?" Belle frowned down at his head of curls, wanting to know more.

"No." He paused. "I 'alked away. I couldn't bear to see her 'olding him."

"Didn't she try to stop you?" She asked settling her head back onto the shelf of the workbench behind her.

"She 'alled me, but I ran." He said lifting his hand up to his face and wiped at something on his cheek.

Tilting her head to see him, Belle raked her other hand through his curls saying. "Oh, Bae… I know this hurts right now, but you'll get through this. It can't be easy watching your mother start a new family, but" She paused and gazed down towards her stomach. "We're starting our own family as well. The three of us, your father, me and you. We're a family and…" She smiled dividing her gaze between her stomach and Albert. "We'll have a new addition soon."

Albert remained silent as Belle said. "It wasn't planned. Your father doesn't know I'm pregnant yet." She chuckled nervously. "I was trying to tell him earlier, when Emma interrupted us. I have no idea how I'm going to tell him. Maybe you can help?" She asked flexing her arm, rocking his silent form.

Silence.

"Bae?" She leant forward as far as she dared, trying to see his face. "Bae?"

Guessing that he had fallen asleep, Belle gently eased him from her shoulder and was able to see his eyes were closed. She sighed softly whilst she kissed the top of his head and then carefully shifted to lower him to the floor. Belle looked round for something to prop his head up and spotted his backpack on the workbench above. Bringing it down onto the floor, she positioned it under his head and laid his head down onto it. Albert shifted in his sleep, hugging his arms around himself as he repositioned his legs. She watched over him for a second, stroking her fingers through his curls.

"I love you, Bae." Belle told the sleeping boy, smiling down at him.

"Wuve you 'oo." He murmured startling her.

With one last stroke of her fingers through his hair, she climbed up onto her feet and quietly left the garage. The cold hit her as she stepped outside and quickly closed the door to the garage. Belle hugged herself, hiding her hands under her arms in a lame attempt to shield them from the cold, and ran to the patio doors and hurriedly entered the house.

She shook off the cold and relished the warmth of the house as she strode over to the breakfast table to snatch up her phone. Unlocking her phone, she saw Rumald, Emma and Ruby had all called her several times making her feel guilty. Pressing to return Rumald's calls, Belle held the phone to her ear and took a slurp from her lukewarm tea, listening to the rings in her ear. She left her tea on the breakfast table and headed to the living room, and collected the blanket from the back of the couch as Rumald answered.

"Hey!" He answered. "I can't find him! I've tried everywhere! I've dropped Emma home and I'm going to drive the roads out of town!"

"Whoa! Stop!" Belle urged wedging the blanket under her arm and grabbed a cushion from the end of the couch to take with her as she left the living room. "He's here."

She could hear his relief when he breathed out heavily. "Is he okay?"

"Might have a sore head later, but yeah." She said amused with the image of Albert dealing with his first hangover.

"But he's okay?" Rumald asked worrying.

"He will be." Belle told him, stood by the patio doors.

The tone of Rumald's voice changed as he listed off what he had to do. "I'll inform everyone we found him, lock the shop and come straight home."

"We'll be in the garage when you come home." She informed him, wishing she were able to hug him and reassure him everything was all right.

"In the garage?" He questioned.

"Yeah." She said with a small scoff.

"Okay." He said in an unsure tone. "Love you."

"Love you too." Belle smiled, listening to him say bye and end the call.


	84. Chapter 84

Sat on the floor of the garage with Albert's head resting on the cushion in her lap, Belle leant back against the workbench with a book in her hand, reading it as she unconsciously combed her fingers through Albert's hair. She did not know how much time had passed. She could see though, through the glass panes at the top of the large garage door that it was dark outside. The cold was filtering into the garage under the side entrance door of the garage. It was creeping its way across the garage floor, caressing her tight clad legs. The blanket she had brought out earlier was tucked firmly around Albert, fending the cold off him, nice and snug in the protection of the blanket.

Belle raised her hand from Albert's hair and turned the page in her book, starting on the new page as she returned her hand to muse her fingers through his hair. He had not stirred since she shifted him to rest his head into her lap, keeping an eye over him as he slept. Her gaze shifted from her book down to the head of curls and smiled, envisioning herself doing it with their child, soothing their troubled thoughts and nightmares away whilst they slept.

Returning her attention to her book, Belle noticed the sudden bright beams dance from one side of the ceiling to the other. A few times, she had seen the beams of light move across the ceiling and disappeared, but this time they stayed and blared across the ceiling, lighting up the ceiling of the garage. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing Rumald was home. The lights stopped abruptly and plunged the ceiling back to the dull lighting of the single overhead light in the garage. A contented smile pulled at the corner of her lips as Belle marked the page in her book by turning the corner of the page.

As she put the book on the floor beside her hip, the garage door opened and the coldness from outside rushed into the room. Belle shuddered, whilst the small amount of warmth, which had lingered, was chased away. Rumald hopped into the garage and closed the door, tightly grasping his overcoat around himself.

"God, the temperature's dropped out there." Rumald stated shaking himself and released his hold on the front of his coat, allowing it to freely part in front of him.

"Probably not that much warmer in here." Belle informed him looking up at him, while her fingers trailed through Albert's hair.

He rubbed his hands together to warm them, whilst his gaze fell to the sleeping form of his son. "Not the first time I've come home to find him asleep in the garage."

"He made a comment earlier about coming down here to find you. I'm guessing after a nightmare or something." She commented with her eyes following his to Albert's face in her lap.

"Nearly every night after Milah left, he had nightmares about me leaving him as well." Rumald shared with her as he stepped closer and crouched down, resting his weight onto one of his knees. "No matter how many times I told him I wasn't going anywhere, he would still have the same nightmare and come to find me." He brushed the back of his fingers over Albert's face chuckling as he added. "I lost count of how many mornings I woke up to find him asleep next to me in my bed."

Belle looked to Rumald's face to see the amused look on his face, but she did not miss the sadness in his eyes. "He'll get through this. He's strong."

His eyes reluctantly moved from Albert to meet Belle's gaze, as he said. "I hope so."

"He will." She told him. "Because he's got us."

"Yes," Rumald said distantly after his eyes had lifted to the workbench above them. "And all his friends on the bench."

She giggled. "Yes, well… As he said, he was taking a heaf out of his father's hook."

"Excuse me?" He asked with his eyes wide.

"Never mind." She waved her hand dismissively at him and gestured to Albert. "Let's get him inside."

"Okay." Rumald untucked the blanket from under Albert's chin and flung it to one side, exposing Albert to the cold air of the garage. It was the first time Albert had moved since Belle had encouraged him to rest his head onto the cushion in her lap. Pointlessly Albert curled onto his side and tucked his hands under his arms trying to keep himself warm, and repositioned his head on the cushion.

Tickling at the tip of Albert's nose, Rumald called to his son. "Bae… Bae… Bae." Albert remained asleep. "Bae!"

A groan erupted from Albert as he raised his head from the cushion. "Da…d…?"

"Come on." Rumald coaxed unfolding Albert's arms to get a hold of him. "Let's get you to bed."

"You came for me?" Albert asked sleepily.

"Just like I always do." Rumald said pulling Albert by his arms into a sitting position, whilst Belle stood and collected her book and cushion from the floor. Getting a hold of Albert around his chest, his arms under Albert's arms, Rumald lifted Albert up off the floor with a groan and stumbled when Albert was up onto his feet, unsteady with Albert's added weight. Belle watched unsure how to help Rumald as he struggled to get a better hold of Albert and keep his son, who seemed reluctant, to stay on his feet.

Albert slung his arms around his father and buried his face into his father's shoulder, erupting into a sob. "Don't leave me!"

Rolling his eyes before he closed them, Rumald clenched the back of Albert's hoodie saying. "Never."

With the cushion pinned under her arm, Belle soothed her hand over Albert's back and grazed her hand against one of Rumald's hands. Seeing the two of them like that, a son still needing his father, made Belle slightly jealous. The last time she remembered ever needing her father was when she had been dealing with the grief of losing her mother. He had been too wrapped up in his own grief to even offer the comfort of a warm embrace to her. Whereas Rumald, even with all the hurt he had suffered and had built walls to protect himself, was the first to offer comfort to her or Albert, regardless of how he was feeling.

"Come on, Bae." Rumald coaxed Albert to pull away from him and started guiding his son towards the door. "Let's get you inside. Do you think you're steady enough to walk?"

"Yeah." Albert replied in a quiet whisper, staggering out of the support his father offered him. Turning his body partly to face Belle, Rumald showed Belle a small smile whilst Albert grabbed onto the door, stabilising himself as he opened the door. The cold evening air swept into the garage again and ran straight up Belle's back.

"You okay?" Rumald asked seeing her shiver.

"Yeah." She told him as he placed his hand on her cheek. The warmth of his hand burnt her cheek, but the heat was so alluring she could not help, but angled her face further into his touch.

"God, Belle!" He exclaimed cupping her other cheek with his other hand. "You're so cold!"

She shook her head within his hands. "I'll be okay once were inside."

"Here." He removed his hands to shrug off his overcoat and traipsed it over her shoulders, pulling the flaps close over her chest. The heat and smell of his overcoat engulfed and drowned her, overpowering her senses as Rumald rubbed his hands vigorously up and down her upper arms.

"I'll start the fire and make you a cup of tea." He said to her, taking her book and cushion from her. Now her hands were free, Belle drew the edges of his coat closed and relished the embrace of his overcoat. Rumald bent down and grabbed the forgotten blanket from the floor, and stuffed it between himself and the cushion in his arm.

"Come on." Rumald urged placing his hand on her lower back, gently propelling her to the open door of the garage. Chancing a look over her shoulder at him, she could see his tiredness mixing in with the concern in his eyes. He was oblivious to her looking at him. Other thoughts were racing through his mind as he flicked off the light in the garage and followed her out into the evening. She paused to wait for him as he closed the door but was pushed on by his hand returning to her lower back.

"No stopping, dearie." He crooned over her shoulder. "Need to get you warm."

Hearing his voice sent a shiver down her spine. She sucked in a deep breath, nearly choking on the intensity of his smell, as her mind wandered to other things, or mainly one thing, that would warm her outside and in. Thoughts of the last night they had spent in front of the fire came into her mind, as they entered the house together. Belle bit her lip at the memory, feeling the familiar tingle between her legs whenever she thought of Rumald.

"Bae?" She heard Rumald say behind her, distracted by his hand travelling up her spine to stop between her shoulder blades.

"The room keeps spinning." Albert said. Belle found him sat at the breakfast table with his elbows propping up his head, his face buried in his hands. Brushing pass her, Rumald went to his son and crouched down beside him, discarding the items in his arms to the table.

Belle traipsed over to them, as Rumald said holding onto Albert's upper arm. "Yeah, not nice when that happens."

"I'll make the tea." Belle said reaching through the gap in Rumald's overcoat to touch Rumald's back. "You help him to bed."

"Sure?" Rumald asked twisting his head to see her stood over him.

"Course." She smiled and caressed his cheek with the back of her fingers. A hint of stubble grazed her skin.

Rumald turned his attention back to Albert, taking his cheek away from her fingers, and grabbed Albert's arm to help him stand up as Rumald stood up at the same time. Taking a step out of their way, Belle observed Rumald direct Albert from the breakfast table and led his son out of the room. Albert clutched at the shoulder of Rumald's waistcoat, brunching the silk backing of the waistcoat. She listened to them hobble up the stairs, hushed whispers of a conversation, whilst she ambled to the kettle and set it to boil.

As she went back over to the breakfast table to reclaim her cup from earlier, Belle pulled Rumald's overcoat closed, loving the warmth and smell of him. His coat hung heavily from her shoulders and fleetingly touched her knees as she walked. A happy sigh escaped her whilst she inclined herself to dip her hand out of his overcoat, desperate to keep herself cocooned in his overcoat. Belle was moving back to the kettle as it was boiling, when the front door clattered open and closed again in the entrance hall.

"Where is he?" Gladius's voice called from the entrance hall.

"Upstairs." Belle replied leaning to see get a better view of Gladius in the entrance hall. The older woman shot up the stairs without saying another word. Not thinking much of it, Belle went to the kettle as it clicked and placed her cup on the counter. She struggled to keep Rumald's overcoat on her shoulders as she reached up to claim two more cups for Rumald and Gladius and set about making them their preferred drinks. Her movements paused hearing a slightly raised voice through the ceiling. Briefly, her gaze wandered up to the ceiling and surmised it was Gladius raising her voice at her grandson. Belle returned to making the drinks and poured the boiling water into each cup.

Turning her head to look behind her when she heard movement, Belle smiled seeing it was Rumald entering the kitchen, whilst she placed the kettle back onto its stand. She stirred each drink in turn, while she angled herself to see him stop by the kitchen island and braced his hands on the edge of it. Rumald let out a small groan as he stretched and twisted his back.

"I feel so old." Rumald said staring down at the counter of the kitchen island.

Belle stepped over to the fridge and retrieved the milk from inside of it, as she said. "You're not old."

"I'm no spring chicken either." He retorted as Belle poured some milk into Rumald's coffee and returned the milk to the fridge.

"You keep up well enough with me." She beamed a smile at him after closing the fridge door.

Rumald lulled his head to one side and raised an eyebrow at her, a look of disbelief over his face as Belle set his cup of coffee down in front of him. She tried to smother the chuckle that escape, but could not herself. Slowly his eyebrow lowered and a thin line of a smile pushed back his cheeks. The look he gave her made her blush and shy away, overwhelmed by how handsome he could look at times.

The sound of him slurping his coffee broke the shy spell over Belle and she looked back to him as he closed his eyes, enjoying the nectar of his coffee. Collecting her own cup of tea and Gladius's coffee, Belle walked passed the kitchen island and headed out of the kitchen, through the entrance hall and into the dark living room. Rumald was a couple of steps behind her, entering the living room at the same time she set the cups down blindly onto the coffee table. There was a click before the lights in the living washed the room in light. She glanced over to see Rumald stroll from the light switch and dropped himself into his usual spot on the couch.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her as she folded her leg underneath herself and sat down onto the couch beside him. "I can make us something or we can order in."

"For ease," She started to say to him and rested her hand on his knee. "Let's order in."

"I was hoping you were going to say that." Rumald smirked and took another sip from his coffee.

Belle pouted her lips in thought. "I don't know what I fancy though."

"I just want food." He told her placing his cup onto the end table, sat by the arm of the couch.

"Let's wait 'til Gladius comes down. She might not have eaten yet." She said thoughtfully.

"Okay." Rumald said putting his arm around Belle's shoulders and drew her close into his side. "Anyway, you were going to tell me something earlier at the shop?"

Angling her head to see him next to her with her eyebrows slightly raised up her forehead, she mumbled. "Yeah… I was."

"What was it?" He asked expectantly, picking at something on the front of his waistcoat. Belle swallowed hard watching his fingers pick at his waistcoat. It was a weird experience for Belle to not be able to think of something to say, anything that could fill an awkward silence or retort to an argument. However, the words to tell her sweet Rumald, he was going to be a father again, alluded her as she sat next to him, comforted by the warmth of his overcoat.

"So…?" Rumald pushed titling his head to see her face, discarding the foreign object from his waistcoat to the floor. She smiled wearily at him and squeezed his thigh, hungering for some of his strength. He wore a bemused smile, glancing between her face and her hand on his knee. Closing her eyes, Belle told herself mentally to get on with it. It was not as if he would be angry.

"I went to the doctors today." She told him as she opened her eyes to look at him.

His eyebrows vaguely pressed down over his eyes, concerned as he asked. "You're okay?"

"Yes." She said and then added. "And no."

"Yes and no?" He repeated, while his eyebrows pressed down heavily on his eyes.

"I've got a condition." Belle told him and scoffed at calling their baby a condition. The small scoff noise she made did not sit well with Rumald, when she caught the pointed look he was giving her.

His arm over her shoulders tightened its hold on her and she could feel his body stiffen beside her, as he asked. "What condition?" His voice was stern. "Do you want to get a second opinion? I'll pay. I don't care. Whatever we need to do, however much, I don't care."

She rubbed her hand back and forth on his thigh trying to offer him some comfort, smiling as she said. "No, Rumald. We don't need a second opinion."

"Will you, please, just tell me?" He asked sharply, waving his hand through the air.

Seeing his impatience, Belle shifted on the couch to face him and cupped his face between her hands. "I'm pregnant."

His head jerked back out of her hands, a deep scowl on his face. "What? You can't be! You're on the pill!"

"That's what I was trying to tell you at the shop." She said reaching to reclaim his face. "When you were in Scotland, I forgot to take my pill. Then I thought, you weren't here, so I wasn't going to be getting any… So I stopped taking it." His eyes were the widest she had ever seen them. "Then you came home and I… forgot to start taking them again."

The look on Rumald's face was the definition of dumbfounded. His eyes were wide, his eyebrows had reached the limits of his forehead and he blankly stared at something over her shoulder. As much as she had been at a loss of words to tell him, she had made him speechless. She giggled at the look on his face and stroked one of her hands down the side of his face, firmly cupping his face with her other hand. He rapidly blinked his eyes and shook his head before aiming his gaze directly at her, imploring her to be telling the truth with his eyes.

Belle softly smiled at him and stroked her thumb over his cheek, as she said. "I'm pregnant, Rumald."

Rumald squeezed his eyes shut and reopened them, focusing his gaze on her again as he asked. "Pregnant?"

"You're going to be daddy again." She said tenderly.

"Daddy?" He repeated lowering his gaze down from her face, staring off aimlessly. Using her hands that were cupping his face, Belle lifted his head to bring his gaze back to her and dipped her head to meet his gaze sooner. She smiled expectantly at him, waiting for him to say something, to do something, but instead he stared off distantly. Lost in a world of his own thoughts.

The longer they sat together on the couch with Belle holding his face and waiting for him talk to her, the more doubt grew in the pit of her stomach. Could she have been so wrong? Was it just talk? Did he just tell her what she wanted to hear? Was it a lie that he wanted children with her? All these questions whirled around inside her head, causing her smile to falter. Her dread constricted her chest, her breathing became short and quick, as she tried to decipher what was going through Rumald's head and whether she wrong about everything, about them.

He blinked and widened his eyes briefly before finally settling his gaze on Belle's face, recognition shown by a corner of his lip curling up. "Pregnant?"

"Yes." Belle said in a small voice, unsure now of Rumald's reaction. Nothing she had imagine had entailed Rumald being speechless for so long, leaving her with time to doubt herself and their relationship. Every daydream had always seen Rumald erupting with his joy. None of them had shown her this possibility. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as the dark thoughts hung over her, clawing at her happiness.

Her body jolted at Rumald's thumb stroking her cheek, bringing her out of her thoughts to see a grin on Rumald's face as he said. "You're pregnant."

"Yes… Pregnant." She affirmed lowering her hands from his face to hug herself, feeling a strong need for comfort.

"Oh, Belle!" He uttered dragging her into his arms, squashing her hard into his chest, while his face buried into the crook of her neck. At first, she was at a lost as to what she should do now her spell of self-doubt had been broken. Letting out an edgy chuckle, Belle slid her arms round Rumald and lulled her head against his head as her fingers dug into the back of his waistcoat, grasping the silk backing of his waistcoat.

Against her neck, she felt him say. "I love you."

Hearing those three words was all she needed to hear to break and melt her into him. She clutched her eyes shut, thankful to whoever that her thoughts had only been her misreading his reaction. A curse or two at herself crossed her mind as she chastised herself for thinking he did not want this with her. Everything he ever did was for her, was for them and Albert. And all he wanted in return from them was to be wanted and loved. A hatred for herself lingered as she felt Rumald leaning back to see her face.

"You've made me so happy!" He told her as a lonesome tear rolled down his cheek. "I hoped… that we would be able to have kids. But after all the trying with… Milah. I thought maybe it had been a onetime thing, when she got pregnant with Albert."

The secret Gladius had shared with Belle came to the forefront of her mind. A bitter reminder of Rumald's past. Her shoulders slumped at her realisation. Knowing Milah had caused Rumald to secretly doubt himself, harbouring thoughts that he was inadequate to father another child, made Belle furious. His ex-wife was a lingering bad smell for Rumald and Albert. Both hurt and tortured in different ways by a woman, who had discarded them as nothing.

Belle brought her hand up to his face and wiped away the tear from his face, as she said. "It just wasn't meant to be with Milah."

"No, it wasn't." Rumald stated to her in agreement and cupped her face. "It was meant to be with you."

She gushed at his sweet words, as he leant into her and captured her lips, his kiss firm but soft. His fingers delved into her hair, refusing her the chance to escape from him, whilst his tongue implored her to allow him entrance, which she gladly granted to him. The tentative touches of their tongues became a duel for dominance, the other wanting to touch and explore the other in ways no one else would ever be able to do. Hungering for him, Belle latched onto his waistcoat and eagerly pulled him closer, awkwardly closing the gap between them.

"You know, there are days I wish I could say my daughter was adopted." Gladius said coming down the stairs.

A low animalistic moan resonated from Rumald into Belle's mouth, as Belle slung her arms around his neck, keeping him in place as they kissed. His other hand slid down her side to work under her backside, anchoring a hold on her before he lifted her enough to edge closer to him.

"Stupid child." Gladius grumbled descending the last of the stairs. "It's all Walter's fault. I told him… Would you two like me to leave?"

Hearing the question was directed to them, Belle ripped her lips away from Rumald's and was surprised to see Gladius stood just inside the living room. A sheepish grin appeared on Belle's face, embarrassed Gladius had found them making out like teenagers. Rumald was un-phased by the sudden appearance of Gladius and tugged down his waistcoat to straighten it, shifting back in the couch to see Gladius.

"Not at all." He told Gladius, smirking, reaching for his coffee on the end table.

"It's okay." Gladius said and gestured to the front door behind her. "I can leave."

Belle removed her leg from underneath herself, whilst she grabbed her tea from the coffee table, and snuggled in close to Rumald's side when she sat down. "No, no, Gladius." She waved her hand at the coffee table. "I made you a coffee. Please, stay."

"I wouldn't want to intrude." Gladius grinned at them.

"You're not intruding." Belle smiled. "You're family. Please, sit down, we've got something to tell you anyway." She said glancing to Rumald, who gave her a curt nod of his head, with a smile spreading his lips wide.

Gladius sat down into the nearest armchair after plucking her cup of coffee up off the coffee table and looked at them with a quizzical look on her face, while her eyes darted between the two of them waiting expectantly for the piece of news. Taking hold of Rumald's hand, they shared a look between them before turning their gaze on Gladius. Her nerves from earlier were quelled, subdued by the strength Rumald inadvertently shared with her through their joined hands. Belle felt as if they could conquered anything as long as they stood by each other.

Taking a short breathe, Belle told Gladius. "I'm pregnant."

The older woman's eyebrows did not know what to do with themselves. First they shot up her forehead, then clamped down over her eyes, then went back up her forehead, wavering back and forth. Gladius's lips twisted themselves into a… sort of smile as she stared at them on the couch.

"Sorry," Gladius said regaining control of her eyebrows. "Did you say you're pregnant?"

"Yep." Belle beamed a smile at Rumald next to her, while his fingers squeezed her hand.

Gladius's eyes widened as her eyebrows pushed her brow up her forehead. "Really!"

"Really." Belle animatedly nodded her head at Gladius, a broad smile on her face.

"Oh my God! I'm so happy for both of you!" Gladius said excitedly as she rose out of her seat depositing her cup back to the coffee table and literally bounced the small distance to envelope Belle into a hug, awkwardly bending down to wrap her arms around Belle.

"And you," Gladius began to say unwrapping her arms from around Belle to forcefully hug Rumald, clutching him tightly to her chest, cradling the back of his head much like a mother would do. "I'm so happy for you. You're a brilliant father. No one could ask for a better father than you." She let go of him to grab hold of his face, making him look her dead in the eye as she told him. "You deserve to be happy."

Rumald rolled his eyes. "Not many people would agree with that, but thank you, Gladius. I appreciate you saying that."

Gladius let her hands fall from his face, as she said. "You know, I only tell it how it is. So when I tell you, you deserve this, Rumald, I mean it."

"Both, you and Albert, deserve to be happy." Belle stated to them, but more to Rumald, lightly clutching at his knee.

"Oh, I'm going to love the look on Milah's face, when she finds out." Gladius chuckled retaking the armchair.

"Can we not mention her?" Rumald asked standing up from the couch. "I'd like one night where she doesn't taint things."

"Sorry, couldn't help myself." Gladius apologised looking up at Rumald.

Rumald's shoulders rose and fell before he said. "Seeing as we have something to celebrate, I'm going to find some champagne in the basement." He turned around and stooped down to kiss Belle, leaving the taste of his coffee on her lips. "Love you." Rumald whispered to her and stood up to saunter out of the room.

"Hang on!" Gladius called jumping out of the armchair to chase after him. "I wouldn't mind seeing what you've got down there."

"Shall I make the guest room up for you?" Rumald asked twisting to see Gladius following close behind him. "Seeing how drunk you got the last time you said that to me."

"Shut up and help this frail, old woman down the stairs." Gladius instructed slapping his upper arm.

"Frail, old woman?" Belle heard Rumald question as the pair descended the stairs in the entrance hall to the basement. Their bickering grew quieter the further they went down into the basement. She grinned listening to them and sat back into the couch, drawing her legs up beside her, as she held her cup between her two hands.


	85. Chapter 85

Depositing her breakfast plate and empty cup into the sink, Belle yawned and headed over to the coffee machine to pour the coffee into the two travel cups, sat waiting on the kitchen counter in front of the machine. She widened her eyes watching the steaming coffee pour into one of the cups, cursing how tired she felt. With the smell of the caffeine wafting up with the steam of the coffee, Belle knew she would be spending the rest of the day drinking as much of it as she could. Anything to fight the sleepiness that threatened to take her back to the land of nod.

In the middle of the night, Belle had been woken up by the heart-wrenching retch of Albert and had found him sat on the floor in the bathroom, desperately hugging the toilet as his body forced the poison out of his stomach. She had sat with him, trying to soothe him by rubbing her hand over his back, whispering words of encouragement whilst he cried into his arms folded on the toilet seat. After some time, Belle had managed to talk him into going back to bed and had gone with him to his room, her arm hooked around him, and helped him back into bed, tucking him like a small child. When she had wished him goodnight and reached to flick off his bedside lamp, he had caught her hand and pleaded for her to stay with him. The plead in his tired, red eyes was too strong for her to fight, so she had settled on the bed beside him and had let him snuggle into her, while she had glanced at the clock and had told herself she would go back to bed as soon as he was asleep. But it seemed the pull to sleep had taken her unknowingly, because the next time she opened her eyes to look at the clock, she had lost three hours and it had been near the time she normally got up in the morning.

Belle twisted the lids onto the travel cups and picked up both of them to take them to the other kitchen counter, and put Rumald's next to his wallet and keys, ready for him when he left. Yawning she bent over and collected her handbag from a seat at the breakfast table, and began towards the front door. She stopped by the front door and perched her travel cup on the end of the banister for the stairs, and discarded her bag to her feet before she unhooked her coat from where the coats hung.

As Belle shrugged on her coat and flicked out her hair, Rumald appeared over the banister upstairs and called down to her. "Are you off now, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," She said up to him, stooping to collect her scarf and gloves out of her handbag, and put them on as she gazed up at him. "I've put your travel cup by your keys and wallet."

"Thank you." He smiled and asked. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Sure." Belle replied straightening the sleeves of her coat over her gloves.

Rumald nodded his head in the direction of Albert's bedroom. "Could you take him to school this morning?"

"Err…" She thought about it for a second. "I don't see… why not. Yeah, I can take him."

"Albert, come on. Belle's leaving now." Rumald called out, twisting his head to look in the direction of Albert's bedroom. There was bust of commotion upstairs and then a pair of feet pounded down the stairs. Belle smiled when Albert came into view, looking more dishevelled than normal. His bag bang down each step behind him, dragged by a single strap, whilst Albert fought to put his arm through the arm of his hoodie.

"Morning." Belle happily greeted him as he stepped down the last few steps to join her in the entrance hall.

"Yeah." He mumbled flicking up the hood of his hoodie, drawing it as far as it would go over his head. She chuckled looking back up to Rumald, whilst Albert yanked the front door open, letting all the cold into the house as he left the front door open and descended the steps of the porch.

"Thank you." Rumald said smiling down at her.

Belle collected her coffee from the end of the banister and stooped to pick up her handbag, while her gaze never wavered from Rumald, and said. "Are you doing anything for lunch today?"

"I've got a meeting at lunch." He told her, bracing his hands down onto the banister. "I'll probably be late home as well. So don't worry about doing me any dinner either, I'll get something on my way home."

"Okay. Love you." She said with a smile, but inwardly was disappointed she was not going to see him.

"Love you too." He shouted down as Belle exited through the open front door and closed it behind her. The chill in the morning air hit her and Belle clutched her coat tight around her, trying to shield herself from it, while she stepped down the porch steps. She looked to her car to see Albert was already inside of it, slumped against his car door.

Sipping from her travel cup, Belle awkwardly opened her car door while she tried not to drop her handbag. The door creaked as it opened and creaked close after she climbed into the car. Digging out her keys to the car from her bag, Belle palmed her handbag off to Albert for him to dump it onto the floor of the car between his feet. She raised an eyebrow at him and sipped from her coffee, watching him over the rim of her cup. Albert had slumped back into his door and crossed his arms over his chest, and stared out of the window at the neighbouring houses. As she lowered her travel cup from her lips, Belle inserted the key into the ignition and started the car, glum with troubled thoughts of Albert.

She so badly wanted to make things better for him, fix (or beat up) whatever was upsetting him. However, she knew from personal experience, Albert had to come to terms with it in his own way and find a way to deal with it. Belle did not have much to share with him that would help him in regards to his mother. As she put her travel cup into the drinks holder of the car, Belle recalled how all she had ever done was enable her father, making up for whatever he lack financially and excusing his behaviour by saying he loved her. While Belle pulled away from the kerb in front of the house, she wondered what her father was up, whether he was happy or was getting himself lumbered with more debts he could not pay.

Belle shook the thought away as she turned out of their street and headed across town to the high school. She chanced a look at Albert in the passenger seat, staring out of his window with his chin wedged into the palm of his hand. A frown knitted her eyebrows together and pushed them down over her eyes. He looked so alone. A distant look was on his face as he lost himself deep into his own thoughts. Her heart lurched for him, pushing hard against the outside of her chest.

Dragging her attention back to the road, she could see the turning for the school was up ahead and began to slow the car down and flicked down the indicator. The huff from the seat beside her drew her gaze back to him, watching briefly as he dragged his bag up from the floor between his feet. He was so far from his happy self that it worried Belle. It was not unusual for him to be unhappy when his mother was involved, but he would normally bounce back, awing Belle as he took it in his stride and tried to keep up a brave face for everyone else. Learning from the master, how to control his emotions and hide them behind a mask.

As the turning came upon them, Belle made a split decision and cancelled her indicator, and sped the car up. Albert scowled watching their turning as they drove pass it and turned his head to see the distance grow between them and the turning. His head snapped back and forth, looking between Belle and growing distance to their turning behind them.

"Belle," He muttered and pointed over his shoulder towards their missed turning. "You've missed the turning for the school."

She glanced at him next to her. "I know." Taking her hand off the wheel, she gestured to her handbag. "Can you get my phone out of my bag, please?"

Albert did as he was told and retrieved her phone from her bag, and held it out towards her, frowning between her phone and her in the driving seat. Pulling over by the kerb, Belle took her phone from him and put the gear selector into park. With her phone in her hand, she looked over at Albert and smiled at the quizzical look on his face.

"Fancy spending the day with me?" Belle asked him.

"But…" He turned his head to look through the rear window of the car. "I've got to go to school and you've got work."

She exchanged her phone from one hand to the other and placed her hand on his thigh. "Do you want to spend the day with me?"

"Won't you get in trouble? What about dad?" He asked letting go of the strap of his bag, plunging his bag down onto the floor between his feet.

"Don't worry about any that." Belle squeezed his leg reassuringly. "If you don't want to spend the day with me, it's okay. Just say and I'll turn around and take you to school." She said to him, lifting her hand off his leg to indicate the direction of the school. The indecision was evident on his face. His brow was trying to lift his eyebrows up his forehead, whilst his eyebrows were trying to press down over his eyes. Belle's smile quirked at expression on Albert's face, while she fought to keep a giggle suppressed.

Finally, Albert had made a decision, shown by Albert's eyebrows pressing down over his eyes as he asked. "Where're we going?"

She smiled wildly at him and pinched his chin between her thumb and forefinger, prickled by the tell-tales of his stubble. Gradually, a smile spread Albert's lips, pushing his cheeks back to reveal the two small dimples. It was not as full hearted as his normal smile, but Belle was happy to see it nonetheless. Any chance to see traces of the young man she had come to love as her own son would be enough to brighten her day.

"Let me call the school and excuse you and myself, and we'll discuss it." Belle said unlocking her phone and selected to call Principal Mills. As she put the phone to her ear, out of the corner of her eye she saw Albert throw back his hood off his head. A genuine smile was on his face whilst he grabbed his backpack and threw it through the gap of the front seats onto the back seat of the car. Just to see his smile after the last two days they had had, would be worth any trouble Belle gotten into once someone found out, whether it was the school or Rumald.


	86. Chapter 86

Belle sat in the food court sitting area, waiting for Albert to return with their food order from the Subway outlet in the mall. Gazing round the couples and mother's with their children, she was amazed at how busy it was since most people were at work. A mother feeding her child, sat in a high chair next to her, caught Belle's attention. She leaned forward onto the table and propped a hand under her chin as she watched the mother laugh at her child and rummaged in the bag on the table to procure a wet wipe. Belle could feel herself smiling, whilst she observed the woman across the way carefully wiping her baby's face clean.

Suddenly, Belle realised she was staring and ripped her gaze away from them before she was caught in the act. Sitting back into the plastic chair, her eyes drifting down to her stomach, where she found her hand idling over her stomach. A bemused look came over her face, whilst she wondered how long she had been holding her hand there.

The table scraped a little across the floor from Albert bumping into it, heaving the plastic bags and the bag with their food onto the table. Belle looked to Albert as he dropped himself into a seat and greedily delved his hand into the plastic Subway bag to retrieve his sandwich.

"Hey, hey!" Belle called to him, stopping his movements by putting her hand on top of his arm inside the plastic bag. "Put your bags down onto the floor."

He rolled his eyes. "You sound like dad sometimes."

She shook her head at him, pulling her chair closer to the table, while he removed his bags from the table and put them with the other bags Belle had procured. "Where do you want to go next?"

"Don't know." Albert said raising an eyebrow in thought. "I could do with some new sneakers."

Belle frowned at him as he reached into the Subway bag again and handed her the smaller wrapped package. "You had a pair of new sneakers last month."

"And…?" He shrugged his shoulders at her and unwrapped his larger sandwich.

"You and your father have an obsession with clothes." She stated to him, unwrapping her sandwich.

"At least I don't spend as much as dad does." Albert defended himself. "The last time he went to his tailor, he spent well over a thousand on his clothes."

She huffed heavily, sagging her shoulders at the same time, and said. "At your age, I was lucky if there was any spare money to buy clothes with."

Albert's eyebrows shot up his forehead at her statement. "Really?"

"Money was not in abundance while I was growing up." Belle shared with him. "My father's hobby was collecting debts he couldn't repay."

His gaze wandered down to his hands, holding half of his sandwich, as he said. "When dad told me you were going to be tutoring me, he said that you were working off your father's debt to him."

"Seems so long ago now." She commented picking up her sandwich from the table.

"Do you miss him?" He asked cautiously, avoiding eye contact by staring down at his sandwich in his hands.

"Miss who?" Belle asked before taking a small bite from her sandwich.

Albert looked up from his sandwich and met her gaze as he said. "Your father?"

She thought over his question as she chewed her mouthful and swallowed it. It had been so long since anyone had mentioned her father. It seemed more as if he had been removed from existence rather than moved out of town. No one enquired after her father and she was thankful for that. The idea of explaining to people that she no longer had contact with him made her feel awkward and also like she had failed him, walked away from him as she had done to Rumald. It saddened her to think of their last conversation. Throwing expletives at him as he desperately tried to explain to her, it was for her own good and that she would thank him one day.

Lowering her sandwich, Belle rested her hand onto the table and took a breath before she said. "Of course, I miss him but do I want him back in my life?" Albert's eyes widened waiting for her response to her own question. "No."

"I don't know how to be that strong." Albert confessed to her and put the half of his sandwich in his hand back down to join the other half on the wrapper.

"I don't think I'm strong." Belle told him lifting her sandwich up to her mouth and bit into it.

His lips pouted in thought before he said. "I don't know how to not want my mother in my life."

She swallowed the food and put her sandwich back down, as she said. "It's not about not wanting them in your life. Honestly, there are going to be so many times in the future, I'm going to want my father to be there." Belle gestured to her stomach. "Like now, I would love to tell him I'm going to be a mother, but then that would open the door to let him and his madness back into my life."

"What?" Albert questioned, scrunching up his face at her. "You're going to be a mother?"

Her brow raised at his questions as she returned his questions with a question of her own. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" He asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"In the garage, last night, I told you I was pregnant." She said to him, a small wave of apprehension washed over her as she thought about his reaction to the news. He stared at her over the table with his lips pressed into a thin line. Inwardly, she cursed herself for assuming he had heard her confession after his sleepy response to her telling him that she loved him.

Silence descended between them as Albert fixed his eyes on her. Waiting for him to respond or to say anything to her, Belle wished Rumald were there with her, so he could hold her hand and tell her everything was going to be all right. She took a slow steady breath, running through all the scenarios in her head, trying to foresee Albert's response to the news. Of course, she hoped he would break out into a smile and jump around the table to hug her, telling her how happy he was about the news. Then that was overshadowed by the thought that he would storm away from her and she would lose him, and would then have to explain to Rumald how Albert had gotten to Portland.

She swallowed hard when Albert closed his eyes and unfolded one of his arms to squeeze at the bridge of his nose. Silently Belle marvelled at Albert doing something his father would do, when he was mulling over something.

"I really don't know how to feel about that." Albert admitted to her, dropping his hand down from his nose, and opened his eyes to look at her.

"That's okay." She said softly to him. "It's alright not be happy about it."

He groaned leaning forward onto the table. "I want to be happy." His eyebrows knitted together as he said. "I wished for years that they would get back together and I could have a baby brother or sister, but… It just seems my parents are moving on without me."

Quickly, Belle dragged her chair around the table to him and grabbed one of his hands, clasping it tightly in her hand. "Your father is not moving on without you."

"I should've left yesterday." He said down at the table. "I could've gotten a bus to anywhere before anyone had realised I had gone."

"And you know what would've happened, if you had done that." Belle said to him, heart broken by hearing him speak that way. "Your father would've spent every last dime to find you. He wouldn't have stop until he found you." She leaned into him to bump his arm. "And neither would I."

His head snapped to look at her, the threat of tears was in his eyes as he searched her eyes for the truth. "Really?"

She smiled reassuringly at him. "I'd do anything for you, Bae." Letting go of his hand, she fingered some of his curly hair behind his ear. "You're my family."

Albert partly turned his face away from her, casting his gaze down at his forgotten sandwich. "Yeah, until the baby arrives and then you and dad will be…"

Belle cut him off by taking hold of his chin and forced him to face her, saying. "No, never." She cupped his face with her other hand. "Just like I told you last night, we will never forget you." Stroking her thumb over his cheek, she titled her head to the side. "You need to stop thinking you're not good enough, because the truth is, you're too good. You are one of the best things to ever happen to me and from what your father tells me, to him as well."

"I am?" He asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes." She gently shook his head. "That's why, stupid, you'll never be allowed to leave our family. You're going to stay with us, no matter what happens."

A sad look came over Albert's face before he said. "Why doesn't she feel like that about me?"

"I don't know, Bae. I know I spent endless nights trying to figure out, why my father did what he did, but I know now it had nothing to do with me. There are just selfless people in this world and one of them happens to be my father." Belle said dropping her hands from his face to take hold of both his hands.

"What was your mother like?" Albert asked, playing with the engagement ring on Belle's finger.

"My mother?" She was taken aback by his question. People tended not to ask her about her mother, scared they would trespass into a sore subject. Thinking over his question, Belle smiled at the long forgotten memories of her mother.

Albert nodded his head slightly, saying. "Yeah, your mother."

Belle leaned back against her chair and brought one of Albert's hand down into her lap, holding onto his hand, as she started to say. "My mother was… everything you'd want a mother to be." She could feel her smile waver as she carried on. "She was kind and thoughtful… tried her best to give me what I wanted."

"How did she die?" Albert asked in a quiet voice.

"Cancer." Belle stated blatantly, wanting to get the word out as quick as possible.

"Oh…" He mumbled down at the table.

She breathed in deeply, hoping it would quell the need to cry, and sat up straighter in her chair, saying as she reached for her sandwich. "Anyway, let's finished our lunch and go and find these sneakers you want."

The sadness hung over them whilst they ate their sandwiches in silence, surrounded by the happy chatter and the endless music that played in the mall. Belle did not dare look up from the wrapper of sandwich, concentrating on keeping her emotions in check, and bit into her sandwich even though she had lost her appetite at the mention of her mother. After all this time, it surprised Belle how sore it was to talk about her mother. The one bit of light that had been in her life before Rumald and Albert and had been cruelly ripped away from her, wasting her away to nothing in front of her eyes. She grabbed a napkin from within the Subway bag and wiped at the corners of her mouth, and dabbed around her eyes, trying to keep herself together as the odd tear escaped down her cheeks.

Albert was the first to finished, even with the bigger potion, and cleared up the table, gathering their wrappers to screw up and dropped into the discarded Subway bag. She handed him the napkin she had been using and wiped at the crumbs littering her lap. Taking the rubbish with him, he went in search of a trashcan, while Belle stood up from their table and collected some of the plastic bags and her handbag from the pile on the floor.

"Dad will really like that compilation you bought him." Albert reassured her, bending over to grab the last of the bags on the floor. "I think he has nearly every Ministry of Sound album."

Belle looked at him sceptically. "If he opens it on Christmas day and gives me this 'oh… I love it' fake response, I'll be having words with you."

He laughed placing his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry." He smiled. "He loves all music. You can't go wrong."

"We'll see." She said to him, feeling traces of a smile tug the corners of her lips. Albert smiled putting his arm around her and started to guide her through the sea of tables and chairs, making their way out of the food court and back into the shopping area.

They headed to one of the sneaker stores and Belle sat bored out of her face as Albert went through different pairs of a sneakers. Each pair was tried on, modelled in front of a mirror before being removed to be put into a 'maybe' pile. As she sat watching him, Belle tried to decide which was worse: shopping with Albert or Ruby? Her gaze went to the bags at her feet and shrugged her shoulders, noting at least with Albert she got some shopping done. Ruby was always too busy chatting up the male clerks, hindering Belle's plans to get round as many stores as possible.

After deciding he could not pick between the five different pairs of sneakers, Albert bought all five of them and stood happily with his bunch of bags, waiting for Belle to get up from the cube she had been sat on for an hour. Feeling decidedly stiff, Belle stood up slowly and stretched her back out by pressing her hand to her lower back. Albert bounced from foot to foot, impatient to get home and try on his purchases again. She grabbed her handbag and bags and followed him out of the store, glaring at the store clerk who said goodbye to Albert and told him to come back soon for the new range of sneakers. At hearing this, Belle noted to herself that she would bring a book with her on their next shopping trip, not wanting to have her mind numbed again by watching the different sport and sneaker adverts they had playing in the store.

They made it back to the car without Albert managing to talk Belle into going into another store. All Belle wanted to do was get home and relaxed in front of the television with her feet propped up on the coffee table, while she held a steaming cup of tea in her hands. No ploy to get her to enter another store was going to work with the perfect image of relaxation in her head. He had grumbled at her as they had put their bags into the trunk of the car and climbed into the car, cheerfully asking what they were having for dinner.

The subject of food was brought back up again as Belle had pulled her car into the driveway, leaping at the chance to park her car in Rumald's space on the driveway. "So, what are we doing for dinner tonight?"

"Bae," Belle shoved the gear selector into park, looking at him in the passenger seat. "It's only three o'clock in the afternoon. How could you possibly be thinking of food already?"

"I'm growing!" He told her scrunching his face, disgusted he was having to explain his reason again.

"Growing outwards." She commented turning off the ignition.

"Well, I won't be the only one soon." He threw over his shoulder at her, opening his car door to let the chill from outside into the car.

Belle smirked more at his comment than taking it as insult, glancing down to her stomach. Wrapping her coat around herself, she opened her car door as Albert slammed his shut and moments later the trunk popped open. She straightened her clothes and shut the door to the car with her elbow, shoving her car keys into her pocket. The trunk shut and Albert appeared from the back of the car, struggling to carry all of the bags and her handbag.

"Suppose I got to get used to being your bag boy." Albert said, hefting the bags up the path to the porch.

"I'm quite capable of carrying some of those bags, Bae." She told him, following him up the path and then the steps of the porch to the house.

He waited by the front door for her and rolled his eyes at her, saying. "What and have dad shout at me, because I let you carry things whilst you're pregnant? I don't think so."

"God sake!" Belle huffed at him, taking her keys out of her pocket to select the front door key. "I'm only probably a month pregnant. I can still do things."

"Now, now." Albert said giving her cheeky grin. "No need to get touchy."

The glare she gave him, she hoped lived up to one of Rumald's, whilst she unlocked the front door and pushed the door open. He followed her quickly into the house and knocked the bunch of bags into the back of her leg, causing her leg to give way. Stumbling round, holding onto the door for support, her glare increased at him while Albert laughed. She blew a breath and closed the door, her eyes on Albert as he hefted the bags up onto the breakfast table in the kitchen. Her hand lingered on the front door, while her glare slowly gave way to smile, pondering over how true Albert's comment was. She was going to have to start relying on them both a lot more and fight her need to be independent.

Deciding to put the kettle on, Belle dropped her hand from the front door and took a step towards the kitchen, when someone knocked on the glass of the front door behind her and startled her. She whipped round and stared at the shadow figure on the other side of the door, hidden by the multi-coloured glass in the front door. The figure stood perfectly still, waiting for her to open the door. A quick shake of her head, Belle gathered herself together and opened the door.

"Ah, Belle, if I remember correctly." Mr Hyde greeted her, inclining his body slightly to give her an exaggerated bow.

Belle was confused to see Mr Hyde standing on their porch. "Mr Hyde?"

He straightened himself and clasped his hands behind his back, as he inquired. "I've been looking for Gold, but I'm at a lost for where he is. He's not at his shop and he's not answering his phone. I was hoping to find him at home…" Mr Hyde angled himself to look into the house. "But I take it he isn't here either."

"No, he's not." She told him, holding onto the edge of the door.

"Do you by chance," His eyebrow cocked up at her, giving her an eerie feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Know where I could find him?"

"I can't." Belle said honestly to him. "I've no idea where he is today."

Mr Hyde stepped closer to the threshold, towering over Belle on the other side of the door. "Would you mind, if I waited here for him?"

Her eyes wandered from Mr Hyde to the living room and then to Albert, who stood close behind her, frowning over her shoulder at Mr Hyde. The bad feeling she had felt the night Rumald had left with Mr Hyde to complete their deal came back to her. At first glance, Mr Hyde looked like a well-established man, dress in expensive tailored suit, which looked more expensive than any of Rumald's suits, and could be said to be handsome. However, all Belle could see was a wolf in sheep's clothing, luring his prey into a false sense of security.

"My father won't be home until late, Mr Hyde." Albert said as he stepped by Belle to take possession of the door from her. "If you need to see him about something, then I would suggest that you call him either later on this evening, or call him tomorrow, to making an appointment with him." Albert braced a fake smile at Mr Hyde. "My father is a busy man and likes to keep his private life separate from his business life. So, if you don't mind, I would kindly ask you step off the porch and leave."

Mr Hyde titled his head to the side, squinting his eyes at Albert, and wore a sickly grin on his face. The look he gave Albert made Belle uneasy. Albert's stance blocking the door did not falter. He held his ground and the front door, blocking any advance Mr Hyde might have tried to enter the house.

Bringing his hand from behind his back, Mr Hyde held up his hands to them and step back from the threshold of the front door. "Sorry I intruded." He said and dropped his hands down by his side, taking another step back. "I will try your father on his phone again."

"Goodbye, Mr Hyde." Albert said and closed the door, deadlocking it once the lock had clicked into place. They watched through the glass as Mr Hyde's silhouette turned and walked down the steps of the porch. His figure grew smaller the further he walked away from the house. They could barely make him out as he crossed the street to a parked car. It felt like a long time until Mr Hyde's car pulled away from the kerb and slowly drove up the street away from the house.

Belle breathed out heavily, stepping back from the front door. "I need to call your father."

"I really don't like that guy." Albert stated turning round from the door to face her.

"Ditto." She said before spinning round on her heels and walked straight into the kitchen to find her handbag in the pile of plastic bags. Some of the bags slid off the table and duffed onto the wooden floor, whilst she flicked through the bags until she found her handbag. Finding her handbag, Belle dug into it and pulled out her phone, instantly unlocking it to ring Rumald.

She held the phone to her ear as she slowly turned round, stopping when she faced Albert, who was leaning up against the wall between the entrance hall and the kitchen. It rung and rung, over and over again. Belle bit her lip to the sound of Rumald's voicemail, instructing her to leave a message after the tone. She shook her head at Albert, who in turn, rolled his eyes, and pushed himself away from the wall and headed further into the kitchen.

"Rumald," She said after the tone ended. "I need you to call me as soon as you get this."


	87. Chapter 87

Standing over the sink in the kitchen, Belle washed up the items left over from breakfast and the items Albert and she had used for their dinner. Her attention kept being drawn to her phone sat on the kitchen counter, teasing her, that Rumald had not call them back. It was not unusual for him not to call when he was out and about doing business. However, with bad feeling lingering in her stomach, Belle thought the worse as she rinsed off a plate and placed it carefully into the stand on the draining board. She had rung him a couple of times after her initial phone call, hoping when he saw how many missed calls there were from her, it would sting him into calling her sooner. Looking to the clock above the cooker to her left, she was saddened to see it was half six, three hours after her first call.

Belle rinsed off the last of the cups and balanced it onto the stand with the other cups, and waited with her hands hoovering over the stand, waiting for one of the items to move. Happy they were balanced and stable; she snatched the hand towel from the handrail on the cooker and dried her hands. Whilst she dried her hands, Belle leaned over the top of her phone and touched a button on her phone to light up the screen. No missed calls or messages from Rumald.

"Where are you?" She asked aloud to the kitchen, whilst she hung the hand towel back onto the handrail of the oven.

Breathing heavily out of her nose, she picked up her phone and wandered through the kitchen, her gaze on her phone as she studied the picture of herself and Rumald on the locked screen of her phone. The vain attempt to make herself feel better by looking at their picture, only made her feel worse. The dread she felt twisted and surged her need to know where he was. It had never bothered her before how he never talked about his business with her. Now she desperate to know that he was all right. Silently she fumed about knowing nothing about his comings and goings.

She entered the living room with a sigh and discarded her phone to the end table of the couch nearest her. Needing to vent her frustration, Belle grabbed the plumped cushion from the opposite end of the couch and threw it hard onto the matching cushion at the other end of the couch. Belle stood still for a moment and closed her eyes. Her mind and her emotions were getting the better of her. Mentally, she told herself everything was all right. He was all right. Nothing had happened. Apart from Mr Hyde, popping by to see Rumald, but even he did not know where Rumald was, so how could something have possibly happened to Rumald?

With that question in mind, Belle opened her eyes and looked round for the remote to the television. Frowning when she did not see it on the coffee table, she stepped over to the armchair and felt around the chair, lifting the cushion to drop it un-ceremonially back into the chair. She crossed the small cap between the armchairs and searched the other chair to find the remote stuck down the side of the chair. Triumphantly, Belle held it up and grinned to herself as she stepped around the coffee table to flop onto the couch.

Turning on the television and selecting to watch Netflix, Belle shifted on the couch and moved the plump cushion, settling in to watch whatever caught her interest, when Albert suddenly shouted from upstairs. "Belle!"

"Yeah?" She called back, her gaze raised to look at the ceiling in the entrance hall.

"Belle!" He excitedly yelled again from upstairs.

Belle drew her brow down over her eyes as she shouted back. "What?"

Feet pounded across the floor upstairs, echoing between the ceiling and floorboards, scaring Belle for a second until they pounded their way down the stairs. Albert bounded down the stairs, swinging on the bottom banister to propel himself through the entrance hall and into the living room. She watched him bewildered as he bounced down into a kneeling position in front of her.

"I did it!" He announced excitedly.

Wide eyed, Belle stared at him, taking in the stupid, goofy grin on his face. "Did what? Ended world hunger?"

"No." Albert shook his head, scrunching up his nose at her.

"What then?" She asked.

"I completed the camos for my shotguns and got a diamond camo for all of them!" He beamed and bounced up and down on his ankles. Belle could not believe her ears. All the shouting and excitement had been over something on his game.

She rolled her eyes at him and patted his shoulder. "Well done."

"Is that it?" He asked frowning at her. "I've spent months working on the shotguns to get this camo."

"Really?" Belle asked him, intrigued he would waste all that time for one camo.

His shoulders fell. "Yes." Albert stood up as he continued. "It's rare."

"Do you know what's also rare?" Belle asked him, looking up at him from the couch. The unamused look on his face made Belle want to laugh so much, especially when he propped his hands onto his hips, preparing himself for whatever Belle was about to say to mock him.

"What?" He huffed at her.

She smiled at him before she said. "You making me a cup of tea."

Physically it was not possible, but Albert's shoulders slumped further down, wounded by Belle's playful jib, and dropped his hands from their position on his hips. He twisted to see the television behind him.

"What're you going to watch?" Albert asked turning back to face her, changing the subject.

"Don't know." She said accepting his change in conversation. "Might just pick something that's been recommended."

Albert gestured with his hand towards the stairs. "Well, I'm going back on my game."

"Okay." Belle said distracted, flicking through the menus on the screen to find herself something to watch.

Unable to decide, she picked the next title that was in the selection and discarded the remote to end table. The credits started whilst Belle repositioned one of the cushions and settled into the couch. As the opening scene faded onto the television, her eyes were fixed on the mantelpiece clock, informing her it was close to seven clock. She frowned at the time and reached over the arm of the chair to her phone, pressing a button to light her screen to see no missed calls or messages. Where was he, she thought to herself crossing her arms over her chest and forced herself to concentrate on the film.

"Here." Albert announced coming back into the room. Startled, Belle unfolded her arms and snapped her head to see him approaching with a steaming cup. She smirked at him as she reached out to take the cup from him.

He ignored her reaching hands and carefully placed the cup down onto the drinks mat on the end table. "Not so rare now, is it?"

"Bae," She chuckled turning the handle of the cup towards herself. "I was only joking."

Albert was grumbling to himself as he sauntered out of the room to the entrance hall, when Belle called after him. "Bae."

Stopping on the first step of the stairs, he turned his head to see her smile at him before she said. "Thank you."

A vague look crossed over Albert's face. A momentary thought.

He stepped off the last step of the stairs and shuffled back into the living room, saying. "No, it's me that should thank you, Belle."

"What for?" She asked puzzled, crooking her neck to look up at him.

"For today." He said shuffling on the spot. "It was nice to get away from the town for a bit and not have to think about what was going on here."

"You don't need to thank me for that, Bae." She told him, waving her hand dismissively at his thanks.

Albert shrugged his shoulders at her. "I didn't want you to think I wasn't grateful."

Scoffing at him, Belle clambered up onto her feet and implored him to come closer for a hug, holding her arms out to him. There was a sad look on his face as he stepped into Belle's embrace and wrapped his arms around her, titling his head down out of her sight.

"The thought never crossed my mind." She told him, rubbing one of her hands in a circle motion on his back. "I am here for you no matter what." Leaning back from their embrace, she clasped his face between her hands, lifting his head up to look into his eyes. "Any time you need a time out or just to chat, you only need to say."

"Thank you, Belle." He said with a small smile gracing his lips.

Belle returned his smile, whilst he leant into her to kiss her cheek and released his hold around her as he stepped back from her saying. "People to see, people to kill."

"Okay." She giggled watching him shamble back into the entrance hall. Hearing his feet pound up the stairs, taking three steps at a time as he launched himself from one-step to another, Belle settled back down onto the couch and clutched a cushion under her head, watching the nonsense on the television. Her eyes flicked to the mantle clock to see it was after seven o'clock. Time was taking its sweet time and so was Rumald, she thought to herself whilst she let a heavy sigh out, needing him to come home and tell her everything was all right.

Belle did not know when her eyes had closed, she had barely recognised she had dosed off, until the sound of the front door lock unlocking woke her. Jolting up on the couch, she stared into the dark entrance hall and watched the front door open, allowing the street light to wash over the entrance hall floor and cold to traipsed into the house. A shadow broke the street light and closed the front door once it was inside.

Blinking her eyes a couple of times, her gaze flicked to the television to see it was off. With a small amount of light coming from the lamp, Belle could see on the mantel that it was just turning ten o'clock. She rubbed at her eyes, one at a time, trying to fathom how she had fallen asleep. Was the film that boring?

"Hey," His brogue called to her from the entrance hall. "You didn't need to wait up for me."

She turned her head to see him slowly entering the living room. His fingers flicked his tie out from under his waistcoat and worked the knot down the length as she said. "Where've you been?"

"New Gloucester." Rumald replied pulling the tail end of his tie from his shirt collar.

"I've tried calling you a few times today and messaged you." She stated to him, observing him as he shrugged off his suit jacket to toss onto the back of the armchair, joining his tie he had already discarded to the chair.

Creases formed on his forehead as he dug his hand into his pants pocket and withdrew his phone to look at it. "Sorry, I must have left it silent." His thumb flicked the switch on the side of the phone. "Didn't want to be disturbed."

"No." She muttered standing up from the couch. "Wouldn't want to disturb your meeting."

"Excuse me." He said, looking up from his phone. His fingers were posed ready to undo the button of his collar as he raised his scarred eyebrow at her.

Belle crossed her arms over her chest. "Mr Hyde dropped by tonight."

"Did he now?" Rumald's voice deepened. His eyes dropped from Belle to his phone, his thumb flicked and tapped at the screen.

"He was looking for you." She informed him as he lifted his phone to press against his ear.

His brow scrunched as he listened intently to his phone and then hung up the phone, asking. "What did you tell him?"

Belle let out a small chuckled and unfolded her arms to pick up her full cup of cold tea from the end table, saying. "What was there to tell? I had no clue where you were tonight." She straightened herself and looked at him dead in the eye. "Though, most of time I have no clue where you are. So… What was there to tell him? Apart from, I don't know?"

As she moved by him, Rumald said to her. "You make it sound like I'm up to no good? Like I'm doing something I shouldn't be doing."

"How would I know?" She threw over her shoulder as she left the living room.

"You know what I'm doing." Rumald's footsteps followed her out of the living room into the kitchen, stopping by the counter that separated the kitchen from the breakfast table, while Belle took her cup to the sink and poured her cold tea away.

"I know you have the shop and I know you own most of Storybrooke." Belle said to him as she discarded her cup to the sink and turned round to lean back against the sink. "But all this other stuff? The 'meetings' you attend and people you go and see out of town? I have no clue what you're doing."

He crossed his arms. "I'm making deals."

"With people like Mr Hyde?" She asked folding her arms, mimicking him.

"With anyone who has anything worth making a deal over." Rumald said with a hint of annoyance brewing in his voice.

Her head shook slightly as Belle said to him. "I don't like him!"

He unfolded his arms and braced himself onto the counter in front of him. "And I told you, I don't have to like the people I deal with." He poked his finger into the counter, emphasising each of his points as he spoke. "I'm not friends with them. I don't socialise with them. It's purely business."

"But what if something happens to you?" Belle asked with her eyes focused on her crossed forearms. Her voice had suddenly become barely a whisper, thinking what a man like Mr Hyde would do to Rumald, if he were to get nasty with him.

He laughed.

His chuckle stung. Stung her enough that tears began to well in her eyes, as her mind raced away with the horrible things people could do to him. The idea of not knowing where he was scared her more than anything had in her life. Even the monster that had lived in her closet and her mother had chased away, had not scared her as much as the idea of something happening to Rumald and having no idea where he could be. To lose him after all difficulties they had faced in the last ten months would drive her insane.

"Nothing's going to happen to me." He told her. "Who'd dare touch this old beast?"

Belle angled her head to see him at the end of the counter as a hot tear dropped onto her cheek. "I'm being serious."

The creases over Rumald's forehead eased. He breathed in deeply and let it out through his nose, and then moved the short distance to join her by the sink. Belle wiped at another tear that had dropped onto her cheek, while Rumald clasped both her elbows and smiled sweetly at her. His eyes held her, searching for something, and his smile grew wider. A small tug at her elbows brought her closer to him and into his tight embrace.

"Nothing is going to happen to me. I promise." He whispered into her ear, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

Belle turned her face into the crook of his neck and unfolded her arms to snake them around his body, clutching at the silk backing of his waistcoat as she mumbled into his skin. "I was so worried about you."

Rumald stroked his hand down the back of her hair, saying. "You could have just told me that."

"I wouldn't have to worry, if you told me where you were." She told him, leaning her head back to see his face.

He was silent for a second before he said. "Fair enough." Using his hand, Rumald coaxed her head back into crook of his neck. "Just so you don't worry."


	88. Chapter 88

Her excitement had not tempered since she had woken up that morning, waking way before she had needed to. Twice she had gone through her suitcase and Rumald's case, checking they had everything they would need for their weekend away. Unable to come up with another reason to rummage through their suitcases, she had sat and watched Rumald sleep. Silently willing him to wake up. When his alarm had finally gone off, Belle had sprung like a coiled spring and had dragged him out of bed, and had pushed him across their bedroom into the bathroom. Waiting for him to shower and dress had felt like eternity, while she had prepared breakfast for them with her gaze drifting every now and then to the ceiling, urging him to hurry up. Then, while he had leisurely ate his toast and read the morning newspaper, Belle had impatiently stood in the opening to the kitchen with his overcoat and scarf in her hands, repeatedly checking the time between her phone and the clock on the wall of the kitchen.

As Rumald drove them to the school to drop off Albert and then on to Gladius's to drop off Albert's suitcase, Rumald's mind had been elsewhere, lost deep in his own thoughts. Observing him curiously from the passenger seat, she noted the crow's feet by his eyes were more defined than they usually were. A sign something was troubling him.

The night before had been another late one for Rumald, lost in contracts and planning permissions. After dinner, he had gone straight to his study and shut himself inside. When she had entered his study, he had been lost in his musings as he read a contract held between his hands. There had been papers scattered all over his desk. Maps, diagrams and other contracts. The scowl on his forehead had deepened whilst he had flicked to the next page in the contract. Leaving him to work, Belle had gone to bed and had stirred about one o'clock, feeling his arm slip around her drawing her tight against his bare chest. Whatever had gone wrong with the deal with Mr Hyde was weighing down heavily on Rumald's shoulders.

Belle pressed a button on her phone to light the screen, displaying the clock to her. She nodded her head at it as Rumald zapped Gladius's iron gates to open with the remote.

"We have plenty of time." He informed her coasting the car up to the slowly opening gates, timing it to pass through the gates as they opened, and put the remote back into the pocket of his door.

"I know." Belle said turning her head to smile at him. "Just… I'm just excited that's all."

"Don't know what you're talking about. I thought it was quite normal for you to watch me sleep, force me into the shower and desperately want to force feed me my breakfast." Rumald commented with a sly smile, softening the crow's feet by his eyes. She rolled her eyes at him, cocking her head to the side. He chuckled and returned his attention to Gladius's driveway, nearing the end of it where it opened out to reveal the front of the mansion. Seeing his smile, Belle mulled over the last two days, trying to remember the last time she had seen it as he pulled the car to a stop at the bottom of the steps to the mansion.

"Wait here. I'll only be a second." Rumald told her leaning over to peck her cheek and got out of the car, shoving the car door shut behind himself.

Fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, she watched him go to the back of the car before the trunk of the car opening blocked her view. Needing a distraction, Belle unlocked her phone and checked her emails. The trunk clunked shut while she deleted the majority of her emails and sent a reply back to Jess, advising her they would sort it out on Monday.

She had promised herself that it was going to be just them this weekend. As soon as Rumald's business was concluded, it was just going to be the two of them, enjoying a weekend away from everyone for the first time since there trip to the cabin together. Relaxing her hands down into her lap, Belle let her thoughts wander back to the sweet weekend they had spent at his cabin. Apart from disappointing him, it had been the first time they had been allowed to be them. No distractions. No ex-wife upsetting things. Her father's unwanted intrusion long forgotten. Just them.

The click of Rumald's car door lock receding woke Belle's from her thoughts and she turned her head to see Rumald step into the opening of his car door, saying. "Yes, I know. I will take care of it. I promise."

"I'm not scared of him, Rumald." Gladius bodiless voice told him. "But I will not have him talk to me like I am incompetent."

"Look, I'll have this all sorted by the time you come back from Aspen." He promised lifting his arm to rest on the edge of the door.

"It was so much easier dealing with the Mills." Gladius commented.

Rumald shifted and lifted his leg to step into the car. "Yes, but there was no money exchanged." He said lowering himself into the car and lifted his other leg into the car, saying. "Sadly, I got you the money but now the Mills are blocking it."

"You'll sort it." Gladius said stooping to look into the car. "I know you will."

Belle smiled at Gladius, while Rumald rolled his eyes saying. "Why you put so much faith in me, I will never comprehend."

Gladius reached into the car and touched Rumald's arm. "Because you're ruthless when it comes to business and you get the job done."

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not." Rumald said twisting his head to see Gladius.

"Anyway," Gladius voice rose and dropped back to her normal tone as she said. "You kids have fun on your dirty weekend away."

Belle chuckled as Rumald shook his head and leant forward to twist the ignition, spurting the car back into life as he said. "We will."

"Bye kids." Gladius smirked at them.

"Bye Gladius!" Belle called whilst Gladius stepped out of the way, allowing Rumald to close his car door. Stealing a glance at Belle, Rumald shrugged his eyebrows at her whilst he whipped the car around and waved at Gladius as the car passed by the steps of the mansion, and headed back down the driveway to the main road.

Settling further into the leather seat, Belle tossed her phone into her open handbag by her feet and asked. "Is Mr Hyde bothering Gladius?"

Rumald did not look at her. After a few seconds, he breathed heavily through his nose and delved his hand into the pocket of his door to retrieve the gate remote. She looked at him next to her. His lips were drawn into a tight line and the crow's feet by his eyes had deepened with the stress he was keeping to himself. He behaved as though she had not asked her question and shot the remote at the gates as they approached, returning the remote to its home in his driver's door. Angling her head to look out of her window, Belle decided to take his silence as a yes and left the matter where it stood, not wanting to ruin the start of their weekend away.

An endless sea of trees passed by the windows, parted by the road. The Cadillac ate up the miles easily, purring effortlessly as Rumald drove them out of Storybrooke and headed to the interstate. It was not until they joined the intersection that Rumald flicked on the radio and selected to the Bluetooth option on the radio. Belle watched him out of the corner of her eye, her chin resting in the palm of her hand, propped up by her elbow on the arm of the door. Letting her gaze drift back to watch the cars wiz by them, she sighed washing her warm breath down over her hand as the speakers burst to live with the last song Rumald had been playing on his phone.

His fingers drummed on the edge of the steering wheel, while Belle went through her mental list of all the places she wanted to visit whilst they were in New York. A lot of them were the usual tourist spots. Visit Central Park, Times Square, the Empire State building and a few other places. Mostly, she was looking forward to visiting New York's public library. It had always been high on her list of places she wanted to visit, but she especially wanted to visit feeling left out after Rumald had taken Albert on their trip to New York earlier in the year and had been teased by the picture Albert had sent her. Thinking of the picture, Belle leant forward and collected her phone from her handbag to unlock it, and loaded up the sweet picture of Rumald and Albert stood in front of the library. Her hope by the end of the weekend was to fill her phone with lots of selfies of herself and Rumald, visiting all the different places she had listed in her head.

Belle was lost in her daydream of touring New York. Happily dreaming of their quality time together away, while Rumald changed lane and came off the interstate to enter Portland. Realising the car was slowing down for an intersection, Belle sat up straighter in her seat and drew her lower lip into her mouth, biting down on it, as she looked over to Rumald, who grumbled at being caught by the lights.

As he grumbled, the lights changed. Belle clasped her hands in an attempt to fight her need to fidget. Her excitement was growing and when she saw a sign for the airport, she bounced up and down on the leather seat, peering through the window for airplanes over head. It was not the first time she had seen the signs. She saw them when they came shopping in Portland, but today was different. Today, she was going to the airport and she was going to be flying to New York. Thinking about how she would never have been able to afford it, Belle shook her head at the thought, refusing to let the gloom of the past ruin her weekend.

Rumald negotiated his way to the airport and parked the car without much trouble, apart from grumbling as he got out of the car about other drivers and how they need to learn how to park. Following suit, Belle grabbed her handbag and opened her car door, carefully slipping out of the car to shut the door close. The trunk of the car was open and Rumald hefted their suitcases out of the trunk. Squeezing between the two cars, Belle got to the back of the car as Rumald slammed the trunk shut.

With a groan, Rumald paused with his hand on the trunk and looked to Belle. "Look how close they park!"

"Well," She raised her eyebrows and gestured to his car. "I did suggest bringing my car, since it's smaller than yours."

"Are you suggesting I brought this on myself, Miss French?" He asked quirking his scarred eyebrow at her.

"It's okay, Rumald. Like we've said, I've got more common sense than you." Belle half smiled, half grinned at him, as she clasped the extendable handle of her suitcase and extended it out to its full length.

"Indeed." He murmured locking the trunk of the car and proceeded to edge back to driver's door to lock the rest of the car. A full grin came over her face as she watched him over the roof of the car, grumbling to himself under his breath. She waited at the back of the car for him, bowing her head to hide her smirk. The tips of his shiny shoes came into view before his hand laid gently onto her shoulder.

"Come on." She looked up to his face in time to see him jerk his head in the direction of the airport. "We've got a plane to catch."

Guiding her with his hand on her lower back, they crossed the parking lot and made their way into the airport via the bridge connecting the parking lot to the airport. Every time they passed someone, Belle could not resist the urge to inspect them, wondering whether they had just flown in from somewhere exotic. A lot of them she suspected had flown in from another part of America, wrapped up ready for the icy tendrils of winter.

Rumald led the way to the check in desk and smiling reassuringly at her, when he instructed her to put her suitcase on the conveyer belt. The experience daunted her. Not knowing what she should do, Belle remained close to Rumald, tightly holding onto his overcoat whilst he dealt with the woman behind the check in. They smiled at one another and made ideal chitchat. Belle knitted her brow at them and pointed the woman with a look over Rumald's shoulder, not liking the way the woman wished Rumald a nice flight and batted her eyelashes at him. He did not notice the silent exchanged, examining their ticket information whilst he wandered off away from the desk, not giving the check in woman a second glance.

Through the large windows, Belle watched the planes come into land and take off, imagining the destination of each plane. Feeling Rumald's fingers on her back, she looked over her shoulder at him and listened to his side of the phone conversation. Just by deduction, Belle knew he was talking to Dove and was passing on instructions until his return on Sunday. Her eyes wandered down from his face to his chest, over his crossed legs and down to his feet. A chuckle escaped from her, seeing his shoelaces were still untied from taking them off for the security checkpoint.

Slipping off the plastic chair to kneel at his feet, Belle captured his foot to place it on her knee and tied his shoelace for him. She pulled his thin laces into a tight bow and swapped feet, and tied his other shoelace in the same fashion. As Belle carefully moved his foot from her knee and brushed the unseen dirt from her knee, she stood up and looked around the waiting area for their gate. Her lips formed into a smile, dreaming of the future where they could take holidays together or as a family.

A family.

Lowering her head to look to her stomach, Belle's smile widened thinking about their child and stroked her hands over her stomach through the gap of her coat. Even though she had the pregnancy test from the doctors and the letter that had arrived yesterday morning, proclaiming she was pregnant, Belle still found it hard to believe that she was going to be a mother. That there was a little life inside of her, growing, created by her and Rumald. It made her gush just thinking about it, thinking about their family. Her family.

"Hey!" Belle let out a loud squeak as she fell backwards and landed onto Rumald's lap. "You're thinking too loud again." He jested wrapping his arms around her, angling his head up to see her face.

"Sorry." She ran her fingers down the side of his face, revelling at him closing his eyes and titling his face into her touch.

He opened his eyes to look at her as he said. "I've got another call to make." His face grimace with his apology. "Would you mind getting me a bottle of water?"

"Oh…" Belle sat up straighter on his lap. "Sure." Leaning over to him, she kissed his cheek and stood up from his lap, pulling her skirt down, feeling the ghost of his hand linger on the back of her thigh.

"Here." He said. She turned to see him delve into his pants pocket and retrieve his wallet, and flicked it open to pick out some dollars from it. Offering the money up to her, Rumald instructed her to "Get something for yourself, sweetheart."

Slowly Belle clasped the money and drew it out of his hold, while her insides twisted at the premise of taking money from him. The little demon poked her, jibbing her about taking the money, as she smiled at Rumald and ambled away from him, leaving her handbag on the seat next to him. Tightening her grip on the money, crimpling the crisp dollars, she hoped it would get easier in the future. Hoped that someday, pesky little critter would not rear its ugly head when Rumald innocently gave her money. It was not Belle's biggest bugbear. She just wanted to move on from her past and enjoy the future with her future husband. Not secretly hate that he could afford to take care of her, hate that he could buy her everything and treat her like a princess.

Shaking her head at herself as she entered the little store, Belle headed to the fridge of drinks and yanked the door open to claim his bottle of water for him. With the bottle in her hand, her eyes flicked between the bottle of water and the price stamped underneath its place on the shelf in the fridge.

A dollar fifty.

The man could buy anything he wanted, even buy the store itself, and all he wanted was a bottle of water, costing a dollar fifty. There had been days in her youth, where buying a bottle of water for a dollar fifty was wishful thinking. She had been lucky, if she had a plastic bottle that she could refill. Never mind buying a bottle of water. Just having the bottle was hard enough. But… she could not begrudge Rumald. He had worked hard. Building his wealth over the years and investing wisely. The only person she could blame for her demon was no longer in her life, who would not admit he had failed her. Had ruined her by never putting her first unlike Rumald.

Thinking of Rumald, Belle breathed in deeply and shut the fridge door, turning on her heel to head to the cashier. She joined the queue behind a businessman, who was chatting vigorously into his phone. Rolling her eyes at him, her gaze fell to the magazines on display near the cashier. There were so many magazines on display. Some of them from different countries, different languages. Scanning over the covers, her eyes stopped on one particular magazine.

Slightly stepping out of the queue, she plucked the magazine out from its home on the display and studied the cover. A small smile spread over Belle's lips. Her eyes were fixed on the woman on the front cover, dressed in a long white dress, looking beautiful for her wedding day. She could not tear her eyes away from the woman's wedding dress, wanting nothing more than to pluck it straight out of the magazine for herself.

"Ma'am." A voice called.

Belle bit into her lower lip. 'How would I ever afford something like that?' she thought to herself, clutching at the edge of the magazine. Rounding back to her earlier thoughts, her shoulders drooped. Tradition dictated that the bride's family paid. The idea of her father saving money to pay for their wedding was almost comical, but not enough to lighten Belle's mood. She was saddened to think of how much of it Rumald would be paying for, how she would have to rely on him to pay for what she wanted. A concept she doubted she would ever get her head around.

"Ma'am." The voice persisted. Jolting her head round to see the casher was calling her; she quickly moved to the counter and placed the magazine and bottle of water on it. Belle smiled her apology to the cashier, who paid her no attention, and sheepishly looked, over her shoulder, at the members of queue behind her. Not many happy faces. Dying from embarrassment, she stuffed some of the money into the cashier's hand and snatched up the items from the counter, and quickly left the store.

Nearing where she had left Rumald, Belle picked up traipses of his side of the conversation. "It's okay, Marco. We're not going to be home until Sunday afternoon." He paused to listen as Belle approached, unaware she had returned. "Any problems, just contact Dove and he'll take care of it for you. And if you need more men, then get them. Doesn't matter the cost."

Scowling at the conversation, Belle shifted her handbag off her seat and sat down next to him, offering him his bottle of water as he said. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Okay, yes, I'll call you later to check in."

"Marco's doing work for you?" She asked as he ended the call.

Rumald grinned looking at the magazine on her lap. "Bout time you bought one of those." He gestured to the magazine with a nod of his head, pocketing his phone. "I want the house to be littered with them."

She scoffed at him. "You'd only put them into neat little piles around the house."

"At least, I would know that you were thinking about the wedding." He shrugged his shoulder at her, picking at his pants. "The way I understand it, most brides would have had it all planned out by now."

"We've had a lot going on lately." Belle defended herself, pinching a portion of the magazine pages to flick through them.

Rumald leaned over the arm of the seat that divided them, bringing their faces close together. "Nothing is more important than me and you."

Arching an eyebrow at him, she said. "What about Bae?"

"I will always have Bae. I wouldn't let anything stand between me and him." He said picking her hand up from her lap and held it in his hand. "But I thought I had happiness once… Now that I actually have it. I'll do everything in my power to keep it."

Belle smiled leaning into to him and met her lips with him, closing her eyes to savour the moment.


	89. Chapter 89

The limousine pulled up to the kerb outside of the hotel and stopped near the sign that welcomed them to the Ritz-Carlton. The doorman yanked open the door, exposing them to the cold and the busy sounds of the city. Rumald was distracted, chatting to someone on his phone, as he climbed out of the limo holding his phone to his ear. Tearing herself away from the sight outside of her window, Belle shifted from one side of the car to the other and stepped out of the limo with the assistance of the doorman, who had offered his hand to her. She smiled her thanks at the man and turned to look over the roof of the limousine at the statue on the opposite side of the street, with the trees of Central Park acting as a background.

Their trip so far for Belle had been magical.

Boarding the plane, she had followed the steady stream and had gone to follow everyone into economy section of the plane, when Rumald had placed his hand onto her shoulder and directed her in the opposite direction. Giddy at seeing the first class sign above the door, Belle had excitedly entered their part of the plane and had bounced into their seats. Rumald had shook his head at her, stowing her handbag and their coats into the overhead compartment. Whilst Rumald settled into the seat beside her, Belle had glued her face to the window of the plane, observing the ground crew below, watching intently as they got the plane ready to take off.

After everyone had boarded and the ground crew had cleared, she felt the plane jolt backwards jump-starting her excitement. She had turned to Rumald at this point, for the first time since they had taken their seats, to find he had earphones in his ears and had his eyes closed. Pursing her lips at him, Belle had gone back to watching out of the window as the airport and other planes had passed by on their way to the runway. Just as the plane had jolted to another stop and the noise of the engines had increased, she had been pleasantly surprised when Rumald had taken her hand, latching their fingers together, and had leaned over to her, telling her everything would be all right. Inwardly, Belle had laughed, as she already knew everything was okay with Rumald next to her.

Thinking of Rumald, Belle looked round for him and spotted him at the back of the limo, palming some money to the hotel porter. She ambled over to join him and linked her arm with his, smiling at him when he turned his head to see her. He returned her smile and led them to the entrance, where the two doormen opened the doors for them, tipping their top hats at them. Belle smiled sheepishly at them in turn, uncomfortable with the treatment they were receiving.

Her eyes widened as they entered the hotel. The grandeur of the décor told Belle all she needed to know about the hotel: it was expensive.

Nothing was out of place. There were large and medium size paintings hanging on the walls, delicately lit to feature the paintings. Statues and different flower arrangements were displayed on tables and art deco sideboards. The simple but extravagant décor reminded Belle of their home, decorated with various antiques and furniture Rumald had acquired over the years.

Belle's eyes roamed taking in all the splendour, while Rumald guided her to the check-in desk and unbuttoned his overcoat as they approached the desk. A man on the other side of the desk saw them approaching and moved to meet them.

"Good morning." The man greeted, smiling at both of them. "Welcome to the Ritz-Carlton!"

"Morning." Rumald returned the greeting. "I have a reservation in the name of Gold."

The other man nodded his head and began accessing the computer hidden under the counter, and said. "Ah! Welcome back, Mr Gold. I can see you have a reservation for two nights."

"Yes, two nights." Rumald said touching Belle's hand hooked around his arm. Feeling the warmth of his hand, her attention was dragged away from a painting she had been admiring to look at Rumald.

"Your room won't be ready until three o'clock, sir, but I can see Jason has your luggage already." The man gestured to the porter behind them, who had followed them in from outside with their suitcases. "Jason will take your luggage to your room and you can collect the keys from here at three o'clock."

"Thank you," Rumald said with a curt nod of his head.

"Pleasure, sir." Geoff said and smiled at them.

Rumald ambled away from the check-in desk and parted his overcoat to pull his phone out of his pants pocket, towing Belle with him by the hand she had clasped around his arm, saying to her. "If you fancy it, we can get some lunch and then we can go and see what treasures my dealer friend has for me?"

"Whatever." Belle said touching Rumald's arm with her free hand and squeezed his arm tight against her side. "I'm happy to do whatever you want as long as I get to see certain bits of New York."

"Oh, no, dearie." Rumald crooned stopping in the middle of the foyer, turning his body to face her as he said. "As soon as my little bit of business is done, this is all about what you want. Wherever you want to go. Whatever you want to do. We'll do it." He told her hooking a piece of lose hair behind her ear.

Tiptoeing up to him, she kissed him and stroked her fingers down the side of his face, pulling back far enough so she could see into his eyes. "I'm so lucky to have you."

"No, sweetheart. I'm the lucky one." Rumald informed her taking hold of her hand to latch it back around his arm and nodded his head in the direction of the entrance. In harmony with one another, they started to head through the foyer to the entrance, where the two doormen opened the doors for them, letting them back out in the bustling city.

After lunch, they headed from the restaurant to the antiques store, detouring into different stores along the way. It was mid-afternoon by the time they reached the antiques store, where Rumald was meeting his acquaintance. When Rumald had said they were going to an antiques store, Belle had envisioned something similar to Rumald's own store in Storybrooke. As the store was New York, she should have known it would have been showier than Rumald's store. The glass frontage welcomed everyone to look at the wonders inside and like moth's to a flame, many people passing by would slow or stop to look at something that had caught their eye.

Belle glanced round to where Rumald was stood to one side on the sidewalk, on his phone again, frowning at whatever was being said to him. Her lips pressed into a thin line, thinking how enticing the idea of going to the cabin would have been, with there being no phone reception there. She huffed away her disappointment of not being left alone and turned her gaze back to the store window, admiring a statue of woman in a yellow ball gown. As she was looking at the statue, her eyes focused in on a bookcase at the back of the store, lined with a different assortment of books.

A quick glance over her shoulder at Rumald, who was waving his hand through the air with his back to her, and Belle decided to go on inside without him to look around. As she ambled along the store's front to the glass doors, her eyes swept over the other items displayed to catch people's eye. She yanked open one of the glass doors and sauntered into the store, drifting through the different displays on her way to the bookcase at the back of the store. The store did not have the furniture polish smell that she liked about Rumald's store. There was not a definitive smell in the store. It was very much neutral in smell and decor, allowing the potential buyer to envision an item in their home.

She slowed to a stop at the bookcase and scanned over the various titles on the bookcase. There was no real order to the books on the shelves Belle noted as she ran her fingers over the spines of the books. They had literally been shelved into an empty space on a shelf. There was a strong temptation to reorder the books, but Belle was torn between whether to do it by author or title, when a sickly sweet smell wafted around her.

"A pretty young thing like you, darling, shouldn't be hanging around these dusty books." The woman said over Belle's shoulder. Jumping to the side, Belle turned her head to see, what she could only describe, as a flamboyant woman. Half her hair was dyed grey, or the other half was dyed black. The woman's dress coordinated with her hair, carrying on the black and white theme, with a red silk scarf wrapped loosely around her neck.

The woman lifted her arm and traipsed it onto the bookcase, as she said. "You should be looking at the sparkly gems I have, darling."

"Which is overpriced costume jewellery." Rumald said. The woman and Belle both turned to look at Rumald, who was holding a glass statue in his hands, inspecting it for flaws in the light of the store.

Shaking her head, the other woman moved closer to Belle and reached out to take hold of Belle's hand, saying. "Don't listen to him, darling. He's a 'has been' dealer."

"Pfft!" Rumald put the glass statue back onto its stand. "Of course, I am, dearie. Just like your China collection in the window is not a knock off from Taiwan."

"Rum!" Stomping her foot, the flamboyant woman spun on her heel to face Rumald. "I'm trying to make a sale here, darling!" She told him, hooking her thumb over her shoulder at Belle.

"Sorry, Cruella. By all means, carry on and I'll wait over here." He gesticulated his hand through the air between them as he said his apology. Tightly pursing her lips together to hide her amusement, Belle shared a look with Rumald while Cruella turned back to face her, forcing a wide welcoming smile to show to Belle. Rumald smirked clasping his hands in front of himself.

"Where were we, darling?" Cruella asked, while her eyes drifted upwards trying to remember where she was with her sale pitch.

Belle breathed in before she spoke and hoped she did not giggle, as she told Cruella. "You said I should look at some sparkling gems."

"Yes, darling!" Cruella hooked her arm around Belle's arm and dragged her away from the bookcase and Rumald to show her a glass counter. "Now, a young woman like yourself, with a neck as long as yours, should have a diamond necklace."

"Oh, no! I could never afford anything that expensive!" Belle shook her head, looking at the beautiful necklaces on display in the glass counter.

"I'm sure your fiancé could." Cruella smiled, lifting her top lip to reveal a thin white line of her top teeth.

Snapping her head round to look at Cruella, Belle frowned. "How did you…?"

Cruella reached by Belle to take hold of Belle's left hand and brought it closer to get a proper look at the engagement ring on her finger. "Darling, seeing as you're wearing something as expensive as this, I'm positive your fiancé can afford anything in this shop." From nowhere, Cruella put a loupe up to her eye and closely eyed the diamond on Belle's finger. "Oh, yes, darling! He definitely can afford anything in my store!"

"Well, I wouldn't want anything that expensive." Belle stated snatching her hand back out of Cruella's hands.

"Darling, honestly? A girl who doesn't want expensive things? Doesn't want diamonds?" Cruella questioned as the loupe dropped from her eye into her hand.

"Cruella," Rumald called gaining both their attentions and gestured to himself. "May I make a suggestion?"

"What?" Cruella blurted at him, her annoyance with Rumald's meddling showed in her voice.

He smiled at Cruella and went over to the bookcase to pick out a book from one of the shelves. As Rumald strolled over to them, he flicked open the hardback cover to look at the title page of the book and closed it to offer it to Belle.

"I believe the young lady would much prefer this." He said to Cruella as Belle took the book from him.

Her smile was between happiness and sadness, remembering the nights her mother would read to her. Belle would beg her repeatedly to read one specific book to her. Making her mother restart the book as soon as they had finished it. Over the years, her copy had become tatty and needed the cover repairing. The gold leaf stamped into the cover of the book had long ago worn away, leaving only a hint of the gold to reveal the title of the book. The book in her hands was immaculate and looked like no one had ever read it.

"How much?" Belle inquired, slowly opening the cover to look at the pristine pages.

Cruella folded her arms across her chest. "It's a first edition, so it's four hundred."

"For a book?" She retorted looking up from the title page of the book to Cruella.

"You really are a cheap one. Aren't you, darling?" Cruella snickered at Belle.

Rumald parted his overcoat to delve his hand into his pants pocket, pulled out his wallet, flicking it open in one movement, and drew out the dollar bills. "Here."

Cruella eyed him as she took the money from him. "You? Helping a damsel in distress?"

"The young lady may like a bag for it, Cruella." He commented, ignoring her accusation, and put his wallet back into his pants pocket, and straightened his overcoat. The questioning look on Cruella's face flicked from Rumald to Belle, and back again, whilst she walked between them and headed to another counter in the store.

"You didn't need to do that." Belle stated to him, her eyes on the book in her hands.

"There's a lot of things I don't need to do." He said stepping closer to her, close enough their coats brushed against one another. "This was not one of them. Your copy is tatty anyway and this one's a first edition."

She lifted her gaze to meet his. "My mother gave it to me."

Visibly his Adam's apple bobbed up and down before he said in a quiet voice. "All the more reason to keep your copy at home safe."

"Right, darling." Cruella interrupted, returning with a paper bag. "I normally charge for bags, but as Rumald here has taken a liking to you, I'll let it slip this time." She handed the bag over to Belle and said to Rumald. "Now, you've finished interfering with my sale, can we get down to business?"

"What you got for me?" Rumald asked shifting to stand next to Belle, his arm naturally snaking around Belle's back, whilst Belle put her book inside the paper bag.

Cruella pointed at the two of them. "Wait…" Her lips twisted into a something like a smile as her brow knitted together. "You're the fiancé?"

"Cruella, this is Belle French." He gestured to Belle, beaming a proud smile as he said. "We're engaged."

"You should have said, darling!" Cruella threw her hands up into her air and dropped them down to her sides.

"What so you could double the price?" Rumald asked hooking his overcoat back to put his hand into his pants pocket.

Shaking her head, Cruella smiled evilly and said. "Oh, no, darling. Triple."

He braced a smile taking his arm from around Belle and indicated to himself with his hands, saying. "Show me what you've got."

"Pair of mid eighteenth century Dutch Delft." Cruella said knowingly.

"Really?" Rumald questioned, striding towards Cruella and away from Belle. "Show me."

"Thought you'd be interested." Cruella yanked Rumald closer by his arm and wrapped her thin arm around his, taking him to the door behind a counter.

Taking it, she would wait there; Belle swivelled round on the spot and gazed down at the glass cabinet containing all the jewellery. She bent at her waist for a closer look, her eyes drifting from piece to piece inside the case. Her fingers tightly clasped the bag holding her book, slightly bitter at Cruella calling her a 'cheap one'.

Yes, she did not like to spend beyond her means and she did not expect anyone else to do it for her either. Yes, she was trying not to let it bother her, when Rumald paid for things for her. And yes, she was getting better at relying on him. But… To call her a 'cheap one'?

The impulse to buy anything that was expensive was strong as she perused the necklaces in the cabinet. Belle knew, if she told Rumald she wanted one, he would not question it. He would hand over his card and pay for it. She did not want that. She would not be happy, if she did that to him. Recklessly spending his money on something that she probably would never wear and would sit in her jewellery box on top of her chest of draws. The thought brought Milah to mind. It would have been in her character to do that to Rumald. Demand he bought her things. Used and abused him to get whatever she wanted, whether she deserved it or not.

"Hey." Rumald whispered over her shoulder, causing Belle to jump out of her thoughts and backwards into his chest.

"Oh!" Belle exclaimed, twisting her body to grab Rumald to steady herself.

He smiled at her and nodded to the cabinet. "See anything you like?"

"Erm…" Her eyes went to the cabinet. "No, just looking."

"I was joking about it being costume jewellery." Rumald told her as his arm lightly encircled her waist.

"I know." Belle turned her gaze back to him and smiled.

"Come on then, if there's nothing you like." Rumald withdrew his arm from around her to take hold of her hand and started to lead her through the displays to the entrance. "We'll head back to the hotel and you can get ready for your hot date tonight." He said angling himself to see her behind him and pointed his finger at her.

"Hot date?" She asked with a bemused smile on her face. Her heart fluttered and the familiar heat between her thighs ignited at the look Rumald gave her over his shoulder. His trademark half a smile made her knees quiver.

Opening the door, he stood to one side and guided Belle through the doorway saying. "Got a little surprise for you."

A shiver ran up Belle's spine, partly caused by the cold, but mostly by the look on Rumald's face. He held his chin high as he held her gaze, following her out onto the sidewalk. Coming closer to her, his thumb stroked the back of her hand. Slowly a grin spread across Rumald's face, lightening the crow's feet that had lingered by his eyes all morning. Smiling and quirking an eyebrow at him, Belle let him lead her on from the storefront, gazing up at him slightly as they walked.


	90. Chapter 90

Stood in the large marble bathroom, Belle held one of the complimentary bottles of soap to her nose and breathed in its flowery fragrance. The cap clicking back into place echoed around the bathroom. Her thin finger pressed down on top of the cap and held the bottle away from herself, reading the label for the second time. Gingerly she put the bottle back, placing it beside the other bottles that were neatly displayed beside the sink. She braced her hands on the edge of the sink and lifted her gaze to look at herself in the large mirror, hung on the wall over the sink. Her cheeks were still blushed from the heat of the shower. Pleasantly washing away all her worries. Leaving her with only dreamy thoughts of what Rumald had planned for their first night in New York.

The walk back to the hotel from Cruella's store had been slow due to Belle bouncing and tugging Rumald by his arm. Excitedly she had tried to guess what they would be doing. Tried to extract how and when he had planned an evening for them. He had only smiled. Knowingly he had grinned at her persistent questions as they had strolled through the hotel lobby to the check-in desk. Belle chuckled remembering the look on Rumald's face, when they had entered the elevator and the metal doors had closed on them, and she had grabbed him by the lapels of his overcoat, hauling against the wall of the elevator, and pleaded for more information.

She reached up and pulled at the towel wrapped around her head, releasing her damp hair to hang around her shoulders. Already her hair was a mass of damp curls. Threatening to become an untameable mess. Belle grabbed her toiletry bag from the counter, surrounding the sink, and unzipped the bag to retrieve her hairbrush. Vigorously, she brushed out the curls and tangles, smoothing her hair out to its full length.

In her head, she could hear her mother's voice, retelling the story of how Belle's father had to put Belle over his shoulder, just so her mother could brush the tangles out of her hair. Belle smiled sadly at the memory as she placed her hairbrush onto the counter and flicked her hair back over her shoulders, admiring her smooth sleek hair in the mirror.

Tightening the tie around her waist, Belle ambled across the bathroom to the door and opened it, leaving it wide open, and went into the bedroom. Rumald's music from the other room drifted in through the open doorway. She paused midstride, her brow creased at the tune, listening intently to the infectious beat. Unable to resist, Belle jived her way over to the clothing she had laid out onto the bed and removed the hotel dressing gown to toss onto the bed.

Her hips bobbed from side to side in time with the music, slightly unbalancing herself as she stepped into her panties and pulled them up. Collecting the matching bra from the bed, Belle hooked her arms into the straps of the bra and fastened the bra around herself as she wandered over to the full-length mirror. She repositioned the straps of the bra and made herself comfortable in the cups of the bra, pleased with how well the light blue lingerie, Ruby had bought her, fitted. As she hooked her thumbs into the waist of her panties and repositioned it, Belle had to admit to herself that Ruby was right. Rumald was not going to be keeping his hands off her.

Padding barefoot to the bed, Belle picked up her dress and shimmed her way into it. She smoothed her hands over the fabric of the dress. The dark blue dress hugged her curves, accentuating them. As she went back to check herself her the full-length mirror, the music in the other room changed to a heavy rock guitar, followed by drum roll. Her gaze briefly went to the doorway, wondering what Rumald was listening to now as she came to a stop in front of the mirror.

Belle dragged her gaze to the mirror and fidgeted with the straps of her dress, concealing the light blue straps of her bra underneath the dark blue straps of her dress. Happy with what she saw in the mirror, she wandered to the doorway of the bedroom and placed her hands on the either side of the doorframe.

She found Rumald sprawled out on the couch. His socked feet were perched on the arm of the chair bobbing in time to the music, while he held his iPad over his stomach, flicking his finger over the screen. He had removed his suit jacket, waistcoat and tie. Lounging in his pants and dress shirt, half-unbuttoned to reveal his chest. A cushion propped his head up, giving him a comfortable angle to see his iPad.

"You look like you're settled in for the night." She commented from the doorway, arching an eyebrow at the sight of him.

Rumald did not move or look at her, his attention solely on his iPad as he said. "Tempting."

"If you'd rather stay in…" Belle drawled, titling her head to the side.

"No, no." He waved a hand aimlessly through the air. "We're going out. It's all planned. I just…" His brow creased. "I just want to read this and then I'll come and get ready."

A temptation to run over to him and jump on top of him ran through her mind. She bit her lower lip to restrain herself and backed into the bedroom, twirled on her toes, and ducked back into the bathroom.

Belle searched through the cabinets under the sink and found a hairdryer, whilst the song filtering in from the other room changed. She smiled at the song, knowing it well, and bounced her head in time with the beat, plugging the hairdryer into the socket in the wall. With the noise of the hairdryer, Belle could barely hear the song but that did not stop her from nodding her head in time with the beat. Running her fingers through her hair, lifting sections to dry underneath, she sang along to the song under the guise of the hairdryer noise.

Her hair dry, she turned off the hairdryer and sang in time with the song. "I've been a bad, bad boy… Whispering rude things in her ear…"

Wickedly smiling at herself in the mirror, the lyrics of the song reminded of all the times Rumald would whisper sweet nothings, and downright dirty things, into her ear. Her ear tingled as she recalled how his hot breath felt tickling her ear as he spoke.

A shiver ran down her spine. She closed her eyes, cherishing the ghostly fingers running over her back. Propping her weight onto the edge of the sink, Belle shifted her stance, welcoming the friction caused by her thighs. The hotness between her legs grew as she bit into her lower lip, imagining Rumald's lips kissing her neck, while his hands splayed out over her back and pressed her into his chest.

"Belle," His voice called from the other room. "Do you want a drink?"

"No!" She called back to him. Irritated he had interrupted her naughty daydream.

In the other room, she could hear him humming along to the song before he said. "Bae's just sent a text to say their boarding!"

"You mean he sent you an essay." Belle commented back to him, saving her naughty daydream for later, and delved into her toiletry bag for her makeup.

The sound of his chuckle came from the bathroom door over her shoulder. "Something like that."

Flicking open the lid on her foundation and selecting a brush from inside her toiletry bag, her gaze went to the mirror to see herself, only to catch Rumald stood in the bathroom doorway. He was not looking at her. He was concentrating on removing his cufflinks from his cuffs. The tails of his shirt were untucked, allowing his shirt to hang wide open, framing his lean hairless chest.

Belle squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could control the dirtiness in her mind as her daydream came back with vengeance. The mixture of his soft, strong hands, burdened with a few callouses, caressed over body, whilst he sucked and nipped at the nape of her neck.

"Where would you like to go tomorrow?" Rumald asked, whilst his imaginary counterpart latched his lips harshly onto hers.

"Erm…" She murmured struggling to bring herself back to reality. "Not sure."

"Crying out loud!" He grumbled behind her. A second later, his shirtsleeve appeared in her view. "Can you remove that… thing?" Rumald emphasis 'thing' by shaking his arm at her.

Taking hold of his wrist and shirtsleeve, she refused to make eye contact with him as she removed the offending cufflink from his cuff. He knew her too well. Just by seeing her eyes, Rumald would know her thoughts were wandering into his pants. With his shirtsleeve now free and the cufflink removed, Belle let go of his wrist and exchanged his cufflink for her foundation and brush on the sink counter.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Rumald leant into her and pressed a soft kiss to the side of her head, stripping his shirt from his shoulders and arms. Feeling how close his bare chest was to her arm, twisted the knots in her stomach, building a tension only he could soothe.

Desperate to keep her self-control, Belle breathed in deeply through her nose and then slowly released the breath through her mouth, eyeing herself in the mirror whilst Rumald opened the glass door of the shower and twisted the handle to turn the shower back on. After closing the door to the shower, he wandered off into the bedroom and discarded his shirt, joining the other clothes lying on their bed. She ignored how sexy he looked in just his dress pants and forcefully lathed her brush up with foundation before expertly brushing it onto her face.

"Before we go out tomorrow, I've got some calls to make." He informed her, strolling back into the bathroom in only his tight fitting boxers. The black boxers instantly drew her eye away from herself in the mirror. The corner of her lip curled into an appreciative smile, inspecting Rumald's backside as he opened the door to the shower and reached in to check the temperature of the water. Happy, he quickly stripped his boxers from his hips and stepped into the shower, clanking the door shut behind himself.

"Ah…!" Rumald sighed loudly. "Heaven..."

She closed the lid to her foundation and exchanged it for a tube of mascara. Her gaze was split between watching herself and Rumald showering over her shoulder, as she applied the mascara to her eyelashes. He was leant up against the wall of the shower, his elbows supporting him, whilst he let the hot spray matt his greying hair to his head, roll down his shoulders and over his back. Bitterly Belle tore her eyes away from his silhouette in the shower, jealous of the hot water's caress.

Another grown echoed from inside the shower along with the sound of water sloshing. "Oh… God…"

"That good?" She asked keeping her tone light. Even though, secretly, she wanted to yank him out of the shower and show him how good she could make him feel.

"Really good…" He mumbled just loud enough for her to hear over the spray of the shower.

Her eyebrows jumped at his response, whilst she returned her mascara to her toiletry bag and picked a stick of lipstick out of the bag, asking. "Where're we going?"

"It's a surprise." Rumald repeated for the hundredth time that day.

"Okay, let me ask another question." Belle paused to pop the lip off her lipstick. "Am I going to be on my feet all night?"

There was silence from the shower apart from the sounds of water sloshing up the walls of the shower as he washed himself. Her eyes darted back and forth between her lips and the shower, mechanically running the lipstick over her lips as she had done a million times before. There was an indecisive moan from the shower.

"Depends…" He unsurely said from the inside the shower.

Rolling her eyes Belle smacked her lips together and checked her teeth for lipstick as she recapped her lipstick. "So you've planned a night out for us, but you're not sure if I'm going to be on my feet all evening?"

"Like I said." Rumald said turning off the shower before the shower door clattered open and he added. "Depends on when we're there."

"You're not giving anything away, are you?" She accused dropping her lipstick in her toiletry bag and picked up her hairbrush to run through her hair again.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Rumald smirked, coming up behind her, and spoke to her through their reflections in the mirror. "Dearie," The brogue in his voice caused her to clutch her toes against the smooth tile floor. "What do you expect from a keen poker player?"

She spun round to face him and grimaced a smile at him. "Suppose I'll have to wait and see then."

His eyebrows lifted partly up his forehead. His eyes glinted cheekily at her as he smiled at her with his hands braced on the towel around his waist. Giving him a pointed look, she strode by him and headed into the bedroom, glancing over her shoulder to see him turn to the sink and claim his toiletry bag from the counter. She smiled enjoying the sight of him in just a towel.

As she bent over to collect her black heels from where she had toed them off earlier, Belle paused listening to the song that was playing in the other room. From the bathroom, Rumald was mumbling along with the song, concentrating as he ran the razor down the side of his face.

"Hey… You're a crazy bitch." Hearing him, Belle twisted to see the back of him, his foot tapping the beat on the tile floor of the bathroom, and arched an eyebrow at him. "But you fuck so good."

Wide eyed, staring at him, she was shellshock to learn Rumald listened, and knew the lyrics, to a Buckcherry song. She knew he listened to a wide range of songs and bands from oldies to present, but… Him? Listen to Buckcherry? The man who listened to 'Adagio for Strings', whilst he was going over the accounts for his different businesses, also listened to Buckcherry? Belle did not know why it shocked her. She had already discovered many layers to Rumald… However, it had never occurred to her, he would enjoy Buckcherry.

"Ruby will be happy." She commented aloud to herself, traipsing out of the bedroom to the main suite, reflecting on the many nights she had to listen to Buckcherry through the wall of her room at Grannies, while she had tried to read in peace.

"What was that?" Rumald called from the bathroom. Frowning at the wall, as though she could see him through it, she shouted back "Nothing!" and headed through the doorway.

Passing by the sitting area Rumald had moments ago occupied, she looked at the papers and his iPad left scattered on the coffee table. Since they had come back from Cruella's, he had been working hard to find a solution for the Mills and Hyde problem. With the Mayor holding back on putting the paperwork through, which would allow them to break ground and start building, Rumald was stuck with Mr Hyde growing impatient and looking to Rumald to rectify the situation.

Using the back of the couch to steady herself, Belle lifted her leg and slid her foot into a shoe, keeping her eyes on the heap of paperwork littering the coffee table. A thought to throw the paperwork out of the window crossed her mind as she put her other shoe on, seething at the man who the paperwork represented.

There was a knock at their suite's door. Belle jolted round to face the door, doing a good impression of a deer in front of car headlights. Her head snapped to look to the bedroom doorway and back again, unsure whether she should answer the door. Another look to the bedroom door, Belle bit her lower lip nervously as someone knocked at the door again. She stared at the suite door, hesitantly taking a step forward. Her gaze snapped to the bedroom doorway and back to the suite door. Belle took another step, and another, closing in on the suite door.

"Whoa there, sweetheart." Rumald said hurriedly, his fingers burnt her upper arms as he clasped her arms and redirected her away from the door, while whoever was on the other side of the door knocked more loudly. She used her own momentum to twirl round, watching Rumald answer the door wearing only a pair of white boxers.

"Good evening… sir." The young man said once Rumald had opened the door, pausing to take in Rumald's state of undress. "Your limousine will be out the front in twenty minutes. Also, as requested."

Belle titled her head to get a better view. Rumald stood mostly in the way, holding the door to block her view of what they traded. The young man thanked Rumald with a nod of him and a pleasant smile, and walked out of sight. Suspiciously, Rumald turned in a way that kept whatever the young man handed to him hidden from Belle, while he closed the door to their suite.

Craftily he smiled at her and calculatedly moved towards her, clasping both his hands behind his back. Belle squinted her eyes at him, trying to see pass the smug mask he wore.

"What're you up to?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing." He said stopping a few feet away from her.

The tension on her brow increased as her eyebrow pushed further up her forehead. "What's behind your back then?"

"Oh, this." He swept his arm forward, keeping his other arm behind his back, and presented her with a red rose. "Just a rose for you… If you'll have it?" His brow creased with his eyebrows lifting from over his eyes, a zesty smile on his face.

Her cheeks hurt from the full-blown smile gracing her lips, loving the way he was looking at her. Courteously, Belle extended her arm and plucked the rose from his grasp. His smile widened as he watched her bring the rose to her nose and smelt it, holding his gaze over the petals.

"Why, thank you, Mr Gold." Belle said lowering the rose from her nose.

"Oh, no, sweetheart." He stepped closer. "The pleasure is all mine." Rumald stated leaning into her and kissed her lips, while the smell of his aftershave consumed her. The back of the couch pressed into the back of her thighs after Rumald greedily took another step, standing so close to her, she could feel the heat radiating off his body. Encircling her arms around him, Belle drew his warmth closer, needing to feel his body against her own.

Rumald snatched his lips away from hers, leaving her unsatisfied and wanting more from him, to say. "I need to get ready."

He pecked her cheek and unhooked her arms from around himself, and stepped out of her hold. Huffing out her frustration, she watched him duck back into the bedroom as she sat heavily down onto the back of the couch and sulked.

Song: Kenny Dope & The Bucketheads – The Bomb!  
Nickelback – Midnight Queen  
The Vamps – Can We Dance  
Buckcherry – Crazy Bitch


	91. Chapter 91

(Author Note: I just wanted to thank everyone who has been reading my story. I'm sorry the updates are not as frequent as they were. Things at work and in my private life have over the last month or so took more of my free time. And I know this chapter has taken me a few weeks, been rewritten three times, had the venue changed twice, but I wanted to do them justice and wanted it to flow as well as the other chapters. It would be so easy at the moment to just end it due to other commitments, but I have to admit I have developed a love for 'Rumald and Belle' as a separate entity to Rumple and Belle. And there are so many loose ends I want to tie up nicely instead of in a hasty chapter. So hopefully you'll be able to bear with me through it and provide the encouragement I'll need.

Thank you.)

"Sweetheart." Rumald held out his hand to her, offering her assistance out of the back of the limousine. Sliding over the leather seat, Belle placed her hand into Rumald's and stepped out of the limo, smiling up at Rumald as he helped her. A breeze ran up her leg, goose bumping her skin. She skipped a step closer to Rumald, narrowing the space between them, drawn to the warmth of him. Her fingers tightened her coat around herself in a desperate attempt to keep the cold out. Rumald chuckled softly letting go of her hand to encircle it lightly around her waist. Belle slanted her head up to look at him.

The warm smile he wore melted her. If it was possible, Rumald looked more handsome than ever. His long overcoat hung open, revealing the black suit and burgundy colour shirt he wore underneath it. Belle's eyes were drawn to the small opening of Rumald's shirt. His open collar allowed her to see the shallow dip where his collarbones met, a spot she liked to tease. Running the tip of her tongue up a tantalising trail up his chest, finishing at that exact spot. The shuddering breath she exhaled could have been taken that she was feeling the cold, but she knew the truth squeezing her thighs together.

Rumald leaned around her to close the door to the limousine. His aftershave surrounded her as she stood beside him examining his face. The intensity of his aftershave hit her. The citrus and spice called her closer, urged her to lean into him and take a long satisfying hit from his neck. Her eyes spied the tender skin of his neck peeking over the edge of his shirt collar, whilst she sucked her lower lip into her mouth and firmly bit into her soft lip.

Straightening his back, Rumald seized the moment and placed a candid kiss on her cheek. The heat of his kiss flushed quickly over her cheek, sending a wild wave of heat through her body. He gestured with his head at the direction behind him and led her onto the sidewalk with his arm around her. His hand found its usual spot on her lower back and used it to direct her, where Rumald wanted her to go. Glancing at him over her shoulder, she followed his lead and smiled excitedly at him, while she claimed his other hand to hold tightly in hers. She needed him to ground her. When they had been riding the elevator down from their floor at the hotel, Belle had bounced from foot to foot while holding onto the rail of the elevator. Not knowing was driving her wild with excitement.

Belle was awestruck with the buildings towering over them, shrouded in the dusk sky. Angling her head back to follow the tallest building to its full height, she stumbled a step or two, giggling at Rumald tightening his hold on her. He moved his hand from her lower back and hooked his arm around her, keeping her safe against his side whilst they ambled together down the sidewalk. Lulling her head onto his shoulder, she could have sworn they were flying, feeling light and giddy.

"Here we are." He murmured to her, crooking his neck to see her head on his shoulder. Surprised Belle looked to Rumald's face and then round to see where they had arrived. There was no outlandish sign hanging from the building. Or a brightly lit sign that drew your eye to the building. In white bold font was 'Gramercy Tavern', written along the bottom edge of the small brown canopy above the door. Belle was enthralled by the details etched into the concrete surrounding the doors, while Rumald navigated their way through the throng of people exiting the building as they entered.

Belle smiled at the Christmas tree in the entryway, decorated to perfection as if it had been plucked out of a catalogue. Seeing the tree made her think of all the fun they would have decorating the house for Christmas. It had been a long time since Belle had looked forward to Christmas and she had not realised, until that moment, how much she was looking forward to spending Christmas with Rumald and Albert. With her new family in Storybrooke.

Her smile wavered as her thoughts drifted to her father, wondering for the first time, in a long time, where her father was that night. Was he happy? Did he managed to get his new shop up and running? Was he lonely? Did he miss her?

Shifting his arm around her, Belle's shoulder pressed into crook under Rumald's arm as he asked. "You okay?"

She stared at the Christmas tree, saying faintly. "Yeah." Belle paused to swallow the lump in her throat and blinked back the unshed tears for her father. "Just thinking of my father."

His arm tightened around her, keeping her protectively close to him, as Rumald pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead. Belle smiled and turned her gaze to Rumald, studying his face as he leaned back from her. A small piece of Rumald's hair rebelled, sticking out at a funny angle from his neatly combed hair. Seeing her smile, he returned it, while Belle reached up to carefully comb the rebel piece of hair back in line.

"Needs cutting." He mumbled under his breath as another couple brushed by them to leave the restaurant.

"I don't know…" Belle admired his greying hair. "Not a bad length for yanking."

Rumald titled his head to the side and arched his scarred eyebrow at her. "For yanking?" He brought his hand up to her shoulder and brushed her loose hair back over her shoulder. "If anyone is going to be yanking anyone's hair, it will be me, dearie."

"We'll see." She whispered after leaning in closer to him, giving him a sultry look. He smiled her favourite smile, the half a smile that lit up his eyes and made her inners squirm.

A few seconds passed by, unnoticed by them, as they stared into one another eyes. A conversation of lust and love transpiring through a simple gaze. His dark brown eyes wandered briefly, taking in her face, sweeping her neckline down to the small amount of cleavage her dress displayed for him, and only him. As his gaze returned to meet hers, Belle bit into the lip. Rumald sucked in a heavy breath. The heated look on Rumald's face ignited a heat between her legs.

Raising his hand to her face, he stroked the back of his fingers against her cheek as he told her. "You're so beautiful."

"Flattery, Mr Gold, will get you everywhere." She crooned at him, remembering their first date.

A full-blown smile swept Rumald's lips wide, spreading his lips enough to show his crooked teeth to her and allowed his gold tooth to glint in the dull light of the entryway. He closed the gap between them and softly pressed his lips against her, feeding his fingers into her hair. An urgency to hold onto the moment rushed through Belle as she felt him drawing away from her. Grabbing the open flaps of his overcoat, she pulled him closer and entered the small space between the flaps of his overcoat. The heat and smell of him intoxicated her, fuelling her desperate need to get her fix of him.

"Rumald?" A male Scottish voice questioned. Rumald hastily ripped his lips away from Belle's, his hands holding her by her upper arms, the ends of his fingers dug into her coat, while he whipped his head round to see who had spoken to him. Feeling cheated, Belle let out a low groan as her shoulders slumped down.

"Rumald!" The voice stated more surely. "I thought it was you!"

"Err… Hey, Mike…" Rumald mumbled letting go of Belle and angled himself to face Mike, who quickly approached them.

Mike latched onto Rumald's hand and shook it vigorously, as he said. "Been a while. When did I last see you…?" The ferocity in which Mike shook Rumald's arm slowed, while Mike thought over the answer to his own question. "Must have… been… What? About ten… eleven months ago?"

"Something like that." Rumald said giving Mike a less enthused smile.

"I was sorry to hear about your aunt." Mike stated as their shaking hands slowed to a stop.

"Yes, well…" He shrugged his shoulders. "It wasn't like we didn't know it was coming."

"Anyway," Mike's gaze moved to Belle. "Who's this lovely thing?" Mike enquired letting go of Rumald's hand.

Belle smiled pleasantly at him, while secretly wanting to stamp her heel into the top of his foot for interrupting them. "Belle."

Mike's eyebrows hiked up his forehead as he offered his hand to Belle, saying. "Ah! Meaning beautiful in French."

"Does it?" Belle placed her hand into his hand and shook his hand, attempting to hide the sarcasm in her voice as she said. "Never knew that."

"Well, this one could have told you that. The amount of languages he speaks." Mike gestured to Rumald with a nod of his head.

"Most of them forgotten these days." Rumald shifted his weight, bracing a smile at Mike. "Anyway, we better tell them we're here. Otherwise, we'll lose our reservation." He said whilst he removed Belle's hand from Mike's and took hold of it.

Stumbling out of their way, Mike moved aside to allow them by as Rumald dragged Belle over to where the maître-d stood. "Oh, sure. We'll have to meet up."

"I'll call you." Rumald threw over his shoulder, leading Belle by her hand to overtake him and gently coaxed her forward and away from Mike.

"Who was that?" Belle whispered to Rumald, angling her head to see him over her shoulder.

"He works for my father." Rumald shared with her, while his head was twisted in direction they had come from.

"Oh." She whispered and then whipped her head round to take another look at Mike. The man stood causally to one side in the entryway with his hand in pocket, holding his phone to his ear. He was older than Rumald, even though he was yet to lose his natural colouring. The lines on his face gave his age away.

They stopped abruptly forcing Belle to bring her gaze round to find they were stood in front of the maître-d and his podium. Uncomfortably she smiled at him as Rumald stripped her coat from her shoulders and her arms.

"Reservation in the name of Gold." He said shrugging off his overcoat, juggling Belle's coat between his arms, as he awkwardly took his arms out of the sleeves of his coat.

The man bowed his head and checked the list hidden on his podium. "Ah, yes. Mr Gold." Stepping out from the podium, the man gestured for them to follow him. "If you would like to follow me, sir, I'll take you straight to your table."

The room beyond the podium was large. The walls must have been at least fifteen foot tall with the top half of the walls covered in abstract art. Rumald guided her whilst she took in the room, her eyes swept over the bar area, the walls behind the bar were decorated with various bottles of liquor and wines. She titled her head back to take in the black beams above their heads, breaking the white ceiling. The place felt so grand, yet so homely at the same time. Directing through the dining couples, Rumald held her close to the front of him, his hands held her by her waist.

Belle smiled as they strolled after the maître-d through from the bar to the more intimate dining area at the back. The room was moodily lit giving the diners the misconception of privacy. There tables lit solely by candlelight.

The maître-d graciously stopped at a table for two and pulled out the wooden chair to angle the table, allowing access to the bench seat that stretch the length of the wall. "Here you go, sir."

"Thank you." Rumald said indicating with a sweep of his arm for Belle to take the bench seat.

Widening her eyes, Belle's eyebrows shrugged up her brow as she gathered the back of her dress against her legs and sat onto the bench seat. The maître-d adjusted the table for them, smiling politely at Belle as he towered over the table. She returned it as she plucked her napkin from the table, covered her lap with it, watching the maître-d step back from their table.

"I'll take your coats for you, sir." The maître-d offered his arm and took their coats from Rumald, as he told him. "Your server should be over with you soon."

Rumald unbuttoned his suit jacket, saying. "Thank you."

As Rumald sat down opposite her, Belle's eyes explored the room and the other occupants of the room. He flicked back the opening his suit jacket, exposing more of his burgundy shirt to her, and shifted his chair closer to the table. Belle angled herself to see pass Rumald, looking at a painting on the opposite wall.

"So easily distracted, Miss French." Rumald crooned across the table at her as he picked up his napkin and laid it over his lap.

"Rumald," She said to him, slanting herself forward over the table. "This… This…" Her eyes darted round the dimly lit room, seeing all the other diners' faces lit by the candlelight. "This place is amazing, but are you… sure you want to dine here? It looks expensive."

His face screwed up at what she said as he shook his head from side to side, and reached for the glass of water on his side of the table, saying. "This weekend is all about you, sweetheart." Rumald picked up his glass of water and smiled at her. "I know it's not McDonalds, but I hope my wining and dining might live up to your past experiences."

Belle scoffed and bowed her head slightly, remembering their first date for the second time that night. Lifting her head up, she met his gaze over the rim of his glass of water as he drank and returned his smile. Her smile wavered slightly as her thoughts trailed over the timeline of their relationship. The ups and downs. The heartache. They had only really gotten one real opportunity for a date. Life after that night had been propelled forward with such speed; it had swept her off her feet. Nevertheless, she would not change any of it. Life with Rumald and Albert could be very mundane at times, but it was the happiest she had ever been.

Twisting in his seat, Rumald looked back through into the other side of the restaurant. Belle frowned at the crow's feet appearing by Rumald's eyes. Thankfully, he had left them at the hotel until whatever started troubling him. She tried to follow the path of his gaze, but her view was blocked by the wall. Unable to see, Belle returned to studying Rumald over the table.

"Rumald," She called. "Have you been here before?"

Distractedly, he responded. "A few times." Rumald leaned further back into his chair, desperate for a better view into the other room. "Had meetings in the bar area."

"Hey!" Belle launched her hand across the table and captured his hand, which was curled into a fist on the table. Feeling her sudden touch, he jerked forward and snapped his gaze to her.

"You okay?" She asked stroking her thumb over his white knuckles.

"What? Oh… Yeah, yeah. Course, sweetheart." He told her to reassure her, but failed.

Giving him a pointed look, Belle squeezed his hand as she said. "He unnerved you."

Rumald placed his hand on top of hand holding his hand. "Just a little." His lip twitched into half a smile. "Seems I forget my father has dealings here as well."

"What does he do for your father?" She asked picking up her glass of water and sipped from it.

As he opened his mouth to respond, their server came through the open door and came to a prompt stop at their table, beaming a smile down at them. "Good evening." He said holding the menu in front of himself. "My name is Ben and I'll be your server tonight." Ben split the menus he had held in his hands and offered one to Belle and the other to Rumald. "Would you like to start by ordering some drinks? Maybe a bottle of wine?"

Rumald took the menu from Ben, saying to Belle. "What would you like, sweetheart?"

"Erm…" Belle held her menu in front of herself. "I'll just have a tonic water, please."

"And for you, sir?" The server asked turning his attention to Rumald.

In thought, Rumald reached his hand up to his ear and pulled at his earlobe. "Do you still have Talisker whiskey?"

Ben smiled down at Rumald. "We have a ten year old Talisker and a twenty five year old Talisker."

"I'll have the twenty five year old one." He told the server opening the menu.

"Are you sure, sir?" The server inquired, clasping his hands behind his back.

Slowly Rumald edged his gaze up to look at Ben. "Yes."

The younger man shifted his stance under Rumald's gaze. "We have to ask, sir, as there's a big price difference between the two."

"Would you like me to buy the bottle, dearie?" Rumald asked sitting back against his chair, his scarred eyebrow cocked up at the younger man.

"No, sir." Ben paused and swallowed, bobbing his Adam's apple. "I'll go and get your drinks."

Belle had to bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing at the young man as he scurried away from their table. When he had escaped the room for the bar area and out of Belle's sight, her gaze went to Rumald, watching him perusing the selection on the menu.

"You couldn't help yourself, could you?" She stated more than asked, already knowing the answer with her lips quirking into a smile.

His eyes roamed the menu, his concentration not faltering as he said. "Sorry."

Rolling at her eyes, Belle scoffed at him and then sobered to ask again. "So, come on, what does Mike do for your father?"

"He does what Dove does for me." Rumald commented with his eyes moving over to the next page of the menu. "Manages my father's dealings and the things my father doesn't want to deal with."

"Has he worked for your father long?" She inquired, while Ben returned to their table with their drinks on a tray. He hesitantly placed Rumald's whiskey tumbler onto the table, carefully watching Rumald as he did so. No sooner had Ben's hand left the tumbler; Rumald picked up the tumbler and moved it to the right of the table, his eyes fixed on his menu the whole time.

Belle smiled warmly at Ben as the young man placed her drink onto the table and said. "I'll come back shortly for your orders."

He ducked away from their table and went to another table in the room, as Rumald answered her question. "I don't remember a time he didn't work for my father."

"Long time then." She said raising her glass of tonic water to drink from it.

Rumald shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "You could say that." His lips twisted in thought. "Very loyal to my father."

Belle ran her finger around the rim of her glass. "He'd have to be, if he's worked for your father for so long."

"Indeed." He said dryly and picked up his tumbler of whiskey to drink from it. The crow's feet at the corner of his eyes had grown deeper the more they spoke about Mike. It saddened her to see how much Rumald's past troubled him, especially his past concerning his father. He had been all smiles during their journey in the limousine from the hotel to the restaurant. His brown eyes had shone brightly. Full of love and happiness. Now, as he put his glass down onto the table, his brown eyes were dull, reduced by the heaviness he carried in his heart.

"Hey," Belle shifted to one side on her bench seat and patted the space next to her, when Rumald looked across the table at her. "Come sit next to me for a minute."

"No, I'm okay." He waved his hand dismissively in the air.

Her head slanted to the side. "It wasn't a request." She told him and repeated her action, patting the brightly coloured striped fabric of the bench seat.

Puffing out a breath, Rumald pushed his chair back and did as she instructed, sidestepping between their table and the empty one beside theirs to drop heavily onto the bench seat beside her. He looked at her through the corner of his eye as he repositioned his suit jacket, flicking it out from underneath himself to get more comfortable.

Expectantly she held her hand out to him. "Give me your phone."

"What for?" He asked whilst he obediently delved his hand into his pants pocket and retrieve his phone for her, placing it into her waiting hand. Flicking her thumb over his phone, she shuffled on the bench seat into Rumald's side as she held up his phone, framing them in the screen on Rumald's phone.

"Hang on." He told her and snaked his arm around her waist to haul her closer to his side.

Giggling Belle repositioned the phone as he nestled his head alongside hers and looked to the screen on his phone, seeing their two faces framed perfectly. Belle smiled, while inwardly she swore it was all a dream. That she had dreamt their time together. Where in reality, she was still living and working at Grannies, heartbroken that Rumald had listened and belived the lies of her father. Belle's hand shot to Rumald's encircling waist and dug her fingertips into the palm of his hand, needing to feel he was real.

The phone made a camera snap sound and the picture froze on the screen of his phone for a few seconds, warming Belle's heart at the sight of them. Too quickly, their picture was gone, saved to memory. Wildly smiling, Belle held her arm out again, changing the angle, and took another picture of them. Again, their picturesque picture froze on the screen. Their smiling faces framed together. Except the light in Rumald's eyes was still dull.

She lined the camera up again, hearing a soft moan in her ear from Rumald as he realised she wanted another photo. She could imagine he had rolled his eyes at her, much as he did when she panicked over losing the current book she was reading and behaved as if it was the end of the world, if they did not find it. However, she did not care. Instead, she snuggled further into him and held the phone ready, lining their faces up to the camera. As she about to take the picture, Belle stuck her tongue out and snapped the picture.

"What was that?" Rumald asked jerking his head away from hers. Laughing at the picture frozen on the phone for a second, Belle did not answer him. Too wrapped up in the comedic look on Rumald's face, shocked by her sticking out her tongue. The picture went off the screen again.

"Give me that." He said taking his phone away from her to unlock it. Belle was still chuckling whilst Rumald loaded up their photos. His thumb flicked through the snaps she had taken, shaking his head in disbelief at the last photo and stopped on the second photo.

"It would've been a really nice photo, if you didn't have that beast in the photo with you." Rumald commented dryly, pointing to himself in the photo.

Quickly he used his thumb and forefinger to zoom the photo in on Belle, excluding himself from the photo. "There you go! Perfect!"

Belle swatted at his arm and snatched his phone out of his hands. "Shut up." She zoomed the photo back out, narrowing it down to their two faces. "I've told you to stop calling yourself that."

The corner of his lip quirked for a second. Belle smiled softly at him and took hold of his hand, squeezing his fingers reassuringly. She wished she could make him see the truth. See the goodness inside of him. To see the man that she saw, who was warm and loving. The man who tried to do the right thing for his family, putting their needs above his own. Scared of love but cried for it and had been brave enough to seize it, when the opportunity had presented itself to him. However, she knew a lifetime of being beaten down, physically and emotionally, and being led to believe the worst about himself, was never going to go away overnight. Haunted by memories of his father and Milah.

Suddenly Belle felt bereaved, losing the feel of his body pressed against her side and his arm that had possessively held her close to him. The lingering feel of his body plagued her as he stood up from the bench seat and returned to his original seat. Belle dropped her hands holding his phone into his lap, disappointed he had moved so soon, but she was glad when he sat down and looked at her that he had a more heartfelt smile on his face.

"Are we ready to order?" The server, Ben, asked hesitantly approaching their table.

Rumald glanced sideways up at the younger man before picking up his menu from where he had discarded it over his place setting. "I'll have the beef tartare, pork loin and belly and the caramel quince tart."

"Very nice choices, sir." Ben turned his gaze to Belle. "And for yourself, ma'am."

"Oh my god!" Belle hastily exchanged Rumald's phone for the menu on the table. "I haven't even looked at the menu!"

"That's okay. I can hang on for your order." The server shifted his weight onto one foot and clasped his hands behind himself.

As Belle opened the menu to go through the choices, Rumald began issuing off an order for her. "She'll have the roasted scallops, lamb loin and ravioli and for desert," He closed the menu and smirked over the table at her, as he handed the menu to the server. "If she's got room for it, she'll have the apple sorbet sandwich."

Ben was unsure as he glanced between them, not knowing whether to take Rumald's order for Belle serious or to wait for Belle to give her own order. Smugly Rumald plucked his tumbler of whiskey off the table and sipped from the aged liquor, spying Belle over the tumbler.

She felt pressured. The pleading eyes of Ben silently requested a response from her. Not really knowing what to do, Belle handed the menu to the server and smiled uneasily at him. Grateful for an answer, he nodded his head and took the offered menu from her, leaving with the menus tucked up under his arm. Rumald made a satisfied noise after swallowing his sip of whiskey and placed his glass down onto the table, cupping the glass in his hand. As he extended his arm over the table to collect his phone, Belle toyed with the idea of stabbing his hand with her fork, not liking the fact he had ordered for her. Though… His choices did sound nice.

"It's so nice to get away from town." Rumald commented unlocking his phone. "Even if it is just for the weekend."

Belle pursed her lips in thought at his comment, choosing to make him pay later if she did not like his choices. "We could always escape to the cabin or the beach house, if you like next weekend."

He smiled looking at something on his phone. "I would love to, sweetheart. But with this thing with Hyde and the other deals, I'm trying to get completed before Christmas. I don't think we'll have time." His eyebrows lifted up his forehead as he said. "Although, you could always go off for the weekend, if you'd like. Have a girly weekend away with the girls."

"I'd rather go away with you." She said in a disappointed tone.

"I'm sure you would, sweetheart." His smile weakened as he spoke. "But you shouldn't miss out because of me."

Reaching around the lit candle in the middle of their table, Belle captured his hand and held onto him as she said. "I don't want to go anywhere without you."

His shoulders slumped at her confession. She squeezed his fingers, whilst he ran his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand. There was a slight roughness to the pad of Rumald's thumb. The friction it caused made her skin tingle, tantalising her. Awkwardly she shifted on the bench seat, eager to get dinner over with so they could have desert back at their hotel.


	92. Chapter 92

(Chapter is M rated. Can be skipped.)

(Rumald's playlist for the evening is at the end of the story.)

Belle leant back into the corner, her hands braced on the railings fixed to the walls of the elevator. Her head lulled into where the two walls met, her eyes fixed on the floor counter as the elevator climbed from the lobby to their floor. Rumald stood less than a foot away from her, replying to a message that he had received from Albert as they had been exiting the limousine. Flicking off her heels as the elevator neared their floor; Belle bent over at her waist and collected her heels from the floor. With her heels hooked on her fingers, she stood up straight in time to see their floor number ping up onto the led screen before the elevator chimed their arrival. Padding barefooted out of the elevator when the doors opened, she gazed down at her feet as she walked the short distance to the door for their room, clawing her toes into the carpet.

She thought back to their laughter and teasing at dinner, enjoying the carefree mood that had settled over Rumald after his second helping of whiskey. (Which, she had learnt, when the bill had arrived, was a hundred and twelve dollars a glass). He had downed the last of his third glass of whiskey as he had handed his credit card to their server, Ben. Her eyes had bulged at the total bill for their dinner, seeing what would be a third of her wages pay for their evening.

As she neared the door to their room, Belle halted and shouldered her weight against the wall, waiting for Rumald to catch up with her. Her smile had not left her face all evening. Enjoying the alone time without anyone interrupting them. Just an enjoyable evening, where no phantom phone call dragged Rumald away from her. Exs and family were a safe distance away. Work forgotten, or at least until morning for Rumald. But an evening, where nothing else mattered, no worries, no troubles, just them. It sounded too good to be true as Belle pondered over their evening and tempted fate to possibly ruin what was left of it.

A hand and their room key appeared in front of her. "Here you go, Miss French." His brogue tickled her ear. "You can have the honours."

"Of opening the door?" She asked taking the plastic card from his fingers.

"Don't knock it." Rumald's voice was low, an almost whispered growl. "Open the door."

Mouthing 'okay' to herself, she shuffled to the door and slid the key into the reader. The lights blinked green twice and then stayed green. The door clicked. She pushed down the handle of the door and walked into their room, shaking her head at Rumald over her shoulder. As she entered the room, a knowing look came over Rumald's face. The half-smile revealed the dimple in his cheek as his eyes shone. Belle put it down to the three whiskeys he had drank and dismissed it, opening the door to their room. She took a couple of steps into their room and stopped.

The room was shrouded in darkness with candles delicately placed around the sitting area of their room. In the light of the candlelight, Belle could see that rose petals had been trailed around the candles, decorating the areas lit by the candles. Her hand rose unconsciously to cover her mouth as she stepped further into the room and dropped her heels to the floor to bring her other hand to clamp over the top of her hand already covering her mouth. She was left breathless. Awed by the trouble he gone to, doing his upmost to make their evening special.

Her ears pricked hearing the gentle tones of a song, which had start to play. Gradually she roamed her eyes over the room to find the sound system, Rumald had used earlier on in the day, had sprung to life. A blue light on the front of it showed it was turned on, contrasting with the dull gold glow of the candlelight.

"May I take your coat?" He whispered softly into her ear, while his hands came from behind her to take hold of the edges of her coat. Silently, Belle dropped her hands from her face and let him remove her coat. She sensed him briefly move away from her to discard her coat and returned to her, placing his hands gently onto her shoulders.

"Care to dance, Miss French?" Rumald asked stroking his hands down her arms to her elbows.

A happy tear spilled down Belle's cheek, tracking a hot trail down her face, as she edged herself round to face him. His fingers danced softly over her back and her arm. When his fingers got to the end of the path of her arm, Rumald smiled softly and held up his hand ready to take hold of hers as they had done so on many occasions.

Another tear trailed down her cheek and dropped into the unbearable space between them. Deliberately Belle raised her hand up and softly placed it into Rumald's, hooking her fingers over the edge of his hand as he clasped his hand around hers. Her other hand naturally went to his shoulder and crept up to tickle his hair that hung over the edge of his collar. As she stepped into his embrace, Rumald's hand glided over her side and positioned itself over her lower back, eager for her to press herself against his body.

Their foreheads bumped gently together before Rumald quietly asked. "Have I told you, you look beautiful, tonight?"

"No." Her voice was so small. She questioned, whether she had actually replied to his question.

Smoothly they swayed in time to the music, losing themselves into each other's eyes as they moved as one. The dark pools of his eyes were endless in the soft glow of the candlelight. Delving deep into his eyes, Belle drank in the love and admiration she saw in his eyes.

The song changed but they remained moving to their own beat, swaying from side to side, edging slowly round on the spot in a circle. Rumald placed her hand onto his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her, encouraging her to come even closer as they moved. Angling his chin towards Belle, he softly captured her lips, kissing her tenderly. She returned his kiss as her fingers threaded into his hair and clenched his hair in her hand.

Rumald parted their lips. Opening her eyes, she smiled seeing corners of Rumald's lips curled up into a wide smile. She felt herself mould further into him, melting under his gaze, intoxicated by him.

"I love you." He stated staring directly into her eyes. There was no misconstruing how he felt. His eyes said it all. The walls that had once hidden his feelings were gone, their foundations long gone. His armour removed. His defences were down. He laid himself emotionally bare to her, giving her his heart and soul. Letting her see the man, who had hid for so long behind the mask of the beast, in his entirety.

"Oh, Rumald!" She quietly cried with more hot tears trailing down her cheeks. "I love you too!"

They stopped swaying and stood still, holding each other in a tight embrace. Rumald brought his hand up to her face and carefully wiped her tears from her cheeks, brushing them away with the pad of his thumb.

"Don't cry." He urged in a whisper.

"It's not like I'm trying to." She blurted with a chuckle as his thumb swept over her cheeks again, removing the wet trails from her face.

His thumb lingered on her face, slowly running along the line of her jaw, as he said. "I want you to go into the bedroom and wait for me."

"Okay." She uttered in a quiet voice. Reluctantly they unwrapped their arms from around one another, their eyes holding one another. Rumald breathed deeply in through his nose and closed his eyes for a second before he snapped them open again. There was a change in his eyes. An assertiveness she had seen many times, but it had been a long time since he had directed the look at her.

He turned his back to her and went to the small kitchenette area. Sucking in a breath, Belle needed to breath anything but his inebriating smell, which clouded her mind from thinking straight. The light from the fridge opening flooded the room and sprung Belle into action. Biting her lower lip, she strolled through into the bedroom as a feeling of unease dawned over her. The unknown encouraged her nerves, disconcerting her enough that she felt the need to wrap her arms around herself. Hugging away her worries.

The bedroom was decorated much the same as the sitting room area. Lit candles had been placed in various locations in the room, with rose petals scattered about the candles. The candlelight just about illuminated the bed, which had been turned down ready for them. The bedspread was neatly folded to line the foot of the bed.

A bottle popped in the other room scaring Belle to whirl round to face the doorway. In the darkness, she could just make out Rumald moving about, collecting things together in the kitchenette area. Her hand pressed firmly down over her heart. The heavy thud of her heart beat against the palm of her hand. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, but seeing Rumald's outline in the gloom of the other room, moving towards her, made the rate of her heart increased.

He came through the doorway into the bedroom, finally lit by the candlelight, revealing a bottle of champagne and two flute glasses in his hands. Purposefully he went to the small table by the window and repositioned the candles, allowing him more room for the glasses and bottle. Belle lowered her hand from her chest and wrapped it under her arm that hugged her, watching Rumald as he delved into his pocket to pull something out, hidden inside the palm of his hand. She heard it softly thud onto the table as he discarded. As she tried to angle herself to see pass him, Rumald spun round to face her, his body blocking her view of the table.

As Rumald sauntered towards her, a gentle smile on his lips, the song in the other room changed. She was barely aware of the piano intro and the woman singing. Her nervousness dragged its nails down her back, causing her to shiver as he approached her.

"You're so beautiful." He told her unwrapping her arms from around herself, lowering them to hang by her sides.

"Rum…" Rumald cut her off by kissing her, silencing her before she could speak her concerns aloud.

The back of his fingers trailed down the side of her face as Rumald pulled back from her, telling her. "You're a beautiful woman, Belle."

Heat flooded her cheeks at his words. The hungry look in his eyes that accompanied his words, scared and thrilled her. For she was sure, in that moment, he would have eaten her to get his fill of her. But what scared her the most, was that she would have let him do it. Gave herself willingly to him. Allow the beast within him to feast on her.

Just as a predator would, Rumald stalked around her and out of her sight. She did not dare look. Too afraid to see it coming. She was anxious for him to get, whatever he had planned, over and done with, so she did not have to feel so on edge. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Pumping adrenaline wildly through her body. Heightening her senses. The small hairs on the back of her neck stood on end before she felt his fingertips trail up her legs, dragging her dress up her legs to her waist and followed it up and over her head. She lowered her arms once she was free of the dress. Nervously, Belle licked at lips and sucked in her lower lip.

Logic told her she was stupid. It was not the first time Rumald had seen her undressed or naked. It was not the first time he had undressed her. And it certainly was not the first time they had made love. But, there was something unknown in the air… There normal power play was forgotten. She stood powerless in the middle of the room, uncertain what her lover had planned for her.

Belle jumped at Rumald's fingers touching her shoulder blade. His touch was electrifying. The usual tingle of his touch had multiply to an unimaginable level. She turned her head, spotting movement out of the corner of her eye, and met Rumald's eyes. He smirked trailing his fingers over her shoulder and down her chest, ghosting his fingers over the lacy material of the light blue bra she wore. Belle observed his eyes running down her body, taking her in as if it was their first time. Studying every curve. Etching every detail to memory.

Rumald's lips parted and allowed his tongue to dart out, wetting his lips as he drank in the sight of her. His eyes worked their way back up her stomach, through the valley of her breasts and came to a stop on her face.

"Your beauty always astounds me." His brogue was thick as he spoke. "Why you would ever want me, when you could have any man you wanted, alludes me."

She looked him dead in the eye as she told him. "I don't want anyone else. I just want you."

He smiled his customary half smile at her, stoking the fire in her belly, as he went to the small table where he left the champagne and glasses, and whatever else he brought into the bedroom. "Lie down on the bed."

Cautiously Belle watched him through the corner of her eye, whilst she climbed onto the bed, crawling up the bed to lie down on one side of the bed. She quickly moved the pillow, getting more comfortable, while Rumald poured some champagne into both glasses. Internally she wondered why he was pouring her a glass. Maybe habit was driving his actions, forgetting the main reason she was abstaining from any alcohol.

The bottle clunked as it was set down onto the table and Rumald picked up the two flutes of champagne. He graciously drank from one of them as he came over to the side of the bed she had left vacant. The glasses chinked together and lightly clunked when Rumald placed them down onto the bedside table.

"Sweetheart, move into the middle." He instructed walking away from the bed and went off into the bathroom, leaving Belle to shift across the bed into the middle.

As she pulled one of the pillows to sit more behind her head, Rumald came back out of the bathroom with a towel and laid it on the bed, where she had just been lying. Her eyebrow raised at the towel lying on the bed, while Rumald darted over to where he had left his suitcase and crouched down to get something from inside it. Intrigued by what he was doing, Belle sat up on the bed and watched him in the dim candlelight as he stood up from his suitcase.

Coming back over to bed, Belle could not make out what Rumald held in his hands until he was stood by the edge of the bed, allowing the candlelight to reveal his hands cradling one of his rolled up ties. Her eyebrows pushed her brow up to her hairline, staring at the tie he cradled in his hands.

For the first time since they had come into their room, Rumald's boldness wavered as he held up the rolled up tie in his hand, saying. "If… You don't… Feel comfortable, Belle..."

It was then, Belle realised, she had been wrong with her earlier assumption of being powerless.

Stood before her was the most feared man in Storybrooke. A man who many found to be unkind and saw only what he wanted them to see, projecting a mask to hide his true feelings and intentions.

For her, he was a man, who hopelessly wanted to be accepted, to feel loved and wanted. His heart was helplessly in her hands. She was the one who had control over him, just as he did with her. A mutual acceptance that they were safe with each other. Safe to be themselves.

"What did you have in mind?" Belle asked him with a renewed confidence. His smile returned.

Flicking the tie out, unravelling it to its full length, Rumald said. "Blind fold."

Her gaze travelled down the length of the tie, from its narrowest point to the fattest. The dark blue tie was one of his favourites in his vast collection of ties. She followed the tie back up to where Rumald clutched it in his hand, waiting expectantly for her answer.

Belle drew in a steadying breath. "Okay."

His scarred eyebrow curved up at her as he questioned her. "Sure?"

"Yes." She replied and smiled to reassure him. Watchfully Rumald knelt onto the bed and ran the tie through his hands. The silk passed with eased through his fingers until he found the centre of his tie. Belle turned her head to face forward, waiting for the tie to be lowered down over her eyes. Behind her, Rumald's weight shifted on the bed before she closed her eyes seeing his dark blue tie lower down into view. He gently held the tie in position over her eyes. Belle heard the silk fabric swoosh before it tightened behind her head and then heard another swoosh.

The bed shifted under Rumald's weight moving on the bed, climbing back off the bed. She listened intently, hearing the fabric of Rumald's pants rub as he walked. Blinded for only a few seconds, Belle already felt as if her other senses had gone into hyper drive, trying to compensate for her lack of sight.

Her head jolted in the direction she had heard a swish sound. Controlling her breathing, slowing it to an uncomfortable pace, Belle concentrated on the rustling sounds she could hear. She heard Rumald cross the room again. The sound of his pant legs rubbing together gave him away.

"Lie down on the bed, Belle." He said from where she thought the doorway of the bedroom was. Compliant, she lay down onto the bed, feeling as she did, unsure of the strange sensation. As she lay there, she pictured what the ceiling had looked like above her.

"So beautiful." Rumald murmured to her left, startling her to lift her head off the pillow and pointlessly looked in the direction of his voice. She could hear him chuckling as something clunked onto the bedside table. His chuckle died off, leaving the room in silence.

Listening with baited breath, Belle waited for Rumald to say something, to do something or make a noise. The suspense was killing her. It was too quiet. Slowly her brow squashed down onto the tie. Her impatience quickly became unbearable as she listened carefully for Rumald, but could only hear the music he had left playing in the other room. Swallowing and licking her lips, Belle told herself not to remove the blind fold, trusting Rumald had not just left her alone in the bedroom.

Belle gasped and pulled her foot up the bed, shocked by the cold wet object that had ran up the arched of her foot. Her head shot up from the pillow, casting her unseeing gaze down the bed at the offending item.

"Sweetheart," He said from somewhere at the foot of the bed. "Put your foot back."

"What was that?" She enquired, keeping her leg bent and her foot out of his reach.

Rumald implored her. "Trust me."

Gradually Belle stretched her leg back out to its full length, while silently she was unhappy he had not answered her question. Just as she settled her head back into the pillows, the cold wet object ran up the arch of her other foot. Her foot jerked helplessly up from the bed, reacting on natural impulse. She squeaked at the sensation, but kept her leg firmly stretched out, trusting him as he had requested.

"Not so bad that time, was it?" He asked from the foot of the bed. Belle opened her mouth to reply to his question but quickly bit her lip, sucking hard as the cold wet object trailed up the inside of her right leg, following the curve of her calf to her knee and then up her thigh to stop before he reached her centre. Her thighs instantly clamped together in a futile attempt to stop him exploring any further. The only thing she did was share the cold path to her left thigh, inciting her to groan.

"How is it?" Rumald inquired, whilst at the same time the cold wet object ran up the centre of her stomach.

"Cold!" She blurted out, while desperately trying to clutch at the bedsheet.

"Is it?" His voice was full of fake concern. "Maybe I can help you with that."

His hot breath blew over the wet trail left down the centre of her stomach. Belle jerked a few inches up the bed, moaning at his change of tactics.

"Better?" He asked hovering over her.

"You've done this before!" Belle proclaimed to him, trying to settle back onto the bed. "You've done this Milah, haven't you? Or with someone else!"

She felt his breath over the left side of her face before he spoke. "Never." His lips were hauntingly close to her ear. "I've only ever wanted to do this with you."

The use of her words alluded her as she processed his confession. She could feel herself moisten, thinking how he had fantasied about doing it to her. Playing out exactly how he would do it. Planning each path of caress and with what item. Wanting to satisfy her to the point of oblivion, taking her ecstasy to another level.

Belle was dragged out of her thoughts, when she felt the bed shift under Rumald's weight climbing onto the bed on her right side. His aftershave surrounded her as she sensed him hovering over, his weight propped up by the hand on the mattress to her left. She felt around to her right and found his thigh, still clad in the material of his pants. Opening her mouth to tell him to remove them, her mouth was invaded by lukewarm liquid as Rumald closed his mouth around hers, sealing the liquid inside their mouths.

His tongue sought out her own, whilst the bubbles of the liquid threatened to travel up into her nose. She gulped the fruity liquid down and enjoyed the taste of Rumald's mouth with a satisfying moan. As she duelled his tongue back into his mouth, hungry to explore his mouth, Rumald unlatched his lips from hers and sat up.

"And before you start worrying," He said shifting down the bed and slung his leg over her legs, straddling her over her knees. "It's a non-alcoholic champagne."

"I didn't say anything." She defended, more curious about what he was going to do her.

Rumald shuffled further down her legs, the heat from his bare stomach loomed over the top of her thighs, as he said. "I know how you think, dearie, it had already crossed your mind."

"Maybe…" Belle's voice trailed off, waiting expectantly for what came next.

His chin hovered over the waistband of her panties as Rumald said. "Maybe? Oh, I think there's no maybe about it, dearie."

The cold champagne splashed down onto her chest. Gradually it worked down into the valley of her breasts and ran down to her stomach, gushing under and through her bra. Belle rose up onto her elbows, alarmed by the champagne travelling down her breasts and her stomach, leaving a wet wake over her skin. Rumald sucked and licked the liquid off her, trailing lazy patterns over her stomach with the tip of his tongue. The mattress grew wet underneath her as some of the champagne ran off the sides of her stomach.

"So good." He groaned kissing her stomach.

A low purr resonated at the back of Belle's throat as Rumald lovingly kissed and caressed her stomach with his tongue. His hot kisses and tongue excited her. Each kiss was accompanied by a groan from her. Each deliberate lick and dip of his tongue shocked her, burnt the soft skin of her stomach. Belle drew her legs up from underneath him and cradled Rumald's body with her thighs. His torturous touch fuelled her instinctive need for him. Without even realising it, lost in the haze of the sensations, Belle's hips began to rock against him, seeking the needed friction for her release.

Belle was barely aware of his lips smiling against her stomach before he pushed himself up, removing himself from between her thighs, and said. "Oh, no, sweetheart." She groaned clamping her legs together. "Not just yet."

"Rumald!" She moaned rolling onto her right side. The need for pleasure was too much for Belle to ignore. Her hand wound in between her legs and began to touch herself as she had so many lonely nights before. Her hips rocked in time with her fingers. Applying the perfect amount of pressure at the exact pace, she liked.

Strong fingers wrapped around her wrist and yanked her hand out, and pinned her arm to the bed near her head. Belle moaned deeply into the pillows, while Rumald's chest wedged her other arm, trapping her underneath him, as he clawed back her hair, which covered her face and neck. His fingers travelled lightly, and agonisingly, across her neck, following the natural curve her shoulder to trace the line of her spine. Any other time, his touch would have made her groan and moan his name. However, with her senses heightened, Belle could not help the needy rock of her hips underneath him.

His nails lightly scrapped the skin under the clasp for her bra, hooking his fingers around it to release her from its constricting hold. Her skin was so sensitive, even as Rumald removed the strap of her bra from her shoulder, Belle groaned. He lifted his weight enough to remove her arm from the bra and discarded it to lie beside her on the bed, still hooked around her other arm.

An impulsive need to touch him sent her freed hand up. Intuitively she found his face and cupped his jawline. Belle could imagine the look on his face. The hungry, loving look he always had when they made love. His fingers delicately wrapped themselves around her wrist and lured her hand away from his face. Following his lead, her body twisted and allowed him to pin her other arm down onto the bed. A thrill sung through her body and drew her lip into her mouth, biting the soft plump lip, needing a painful pleasure to take her mind off the throbbing ache at her core.

Belle was aware of him lowering himself down over her, feeling more weight press her wrists into the bed and the fabric of his pants rub over the back of her bare legs. Something wet and hot ran circles around her erect nipple. She smiled knowingly and arched her back, wanting him to suck her nipple into his mouth. The tip of his tongue teased her nipple. He ignored her disappointed moan and desperate jerks forward, deliberately tormenting her with the slightest of touches.

"So perfect." He muttered before suddenly sucking her nipple into his mouth. Belle's gasp for air was louder than the plop of her breast, when he released her nipple. She did not have time to take another breath and let out a strangle gasp as he once again sucked her nipple, hard, into his mouth. His teeth raked over her soft skin, pinching the apex of her breast, whilst the tip of his tongue lazed back and forth over her nipple, deliciously frustrating her. The plop of her breast accompanied her groan as she twisted her head to bury her face into the soft material of the pillow.

Rumald leaned over to take her other nipple into his mouth. The movement pressed his obvious erection into the back of her thigh. She felt herself grow wetter at the feel of his arousal. Her body rocked up the bed as Rumald's hips lurched into her, thrusting his hardness into the back of her leg.

"God…" He groaned into her breast with his forehead touching her upper chest.

"Rumald, please!" She cried bucking her hips against him.

Letting go of her left wrist, Rumald's hand came to touch her face as he enticed her nipple into his mouth again. With her hand freed, Belle immediately sought him out, finding first his shoulder and then the back of his head. Threading her fingers into his hair, she deeply raked her nails across his scalp. His soft short hair ruffled, tickling the palm of her hand. His hand left her face and pressed down onto the mattress.

He released her nipple from his mouth and travelled up to her mouth, kissing a hot path up her body. Her hand fell from the back of his head to the bed, while she squirmed in anticipation. Looming over her, his bare chest grazed her breasts as their chests heaved back and forth. The sensation unwillingly caused her to suck her stomach in, which pushed out her chest further. An endless circle of sensation as her body pursued the hit of pleasure. Arching her back, seeking the feel of his body, Belle grabbed at his arm supporting his weight. Their bodies moulded together, skin to skin.

"God, I love you." Rumald muttered close to her face and captured her lips in a searing kiss. Allowing herself to be lost in his kiss, opening her mouth to him, she lay back down onto the bed. He followed her, keeping their bodies flush to each other.

His hand holding her wrist let go and trailed his fingers down her forearm, and disappeared. She was unaware of its destination until she felt him gently probe for access, tentatively edging his fingers between her thighs. Gladly Belle spread her thighs, gagging for him to touch her. She could feel Rumald smiling as he kissed her and slid his fingers over the lacy material of her panties towards her hot core.

Rumald yanked his lips away from hers, drawing in a sizzling breath through his teeth, and said. "You're so wet!"

"Rumald…" Her voice trailed off into a groan as Rumald slipped his fingers under the thin fabric of her panties and delved a finger into her. Rhythmically he pumped his finger into her, creeping further and further into her hotness. Her hips met him unquestioningly, driving herself more onto his finger. For a brief second, she felt her own tightness loosen to Rumald, granting him permission to slide another finger into her, widening her, readying her for him.

Transferring his weight back onto his knees, Rumald leant back from her. While he kept the rhythm with his fingers, his other hand had found its way to her breast, massaging the perk breast in the palm of his hand. Between the minstrel of his hands, Belle could feel her wave of ecstasy building and groaned in expectancy of her deliverance. She knew it would not be long.

"What do you want, Belle?" He asked her, making her lose her timing with his fingers as she processed what he had said.

Her mind was too fuzzy to comprehend his question. "What…?"

"I asked you once what you wanted, so I'm asking you again." His fingers slowed. "What do you want, Miss French?"

Her mind raced through her memories of them together and stopped on an evening that changed her life forever. A few drinks of encouragement. A drunken walk to his house. A feverish kiss that never got old. A question that had tipped the balance and would have led to them giving in to the deadly attraction between them, if they had not been interrupted.

She licked her lips and said. "I want you."

The pace of Rumald's fingers quickened at her answer. Belle whimpered as Rumald added his thumb to the mix of sensations, idly running circles around her clit. Her head pushed back into the pillows, while her body began to hum with her orgasm nearing. She grabbed at his hand on her breast, clutching it in a death grip while she drove herself hard down onto his fingers. All she could hear was the thud of her heart and Rumald's sweet whispers of encouragement.

"Come for me, Belle." He said quickening the momentum of his fingers and increased the pressure on her small bundle of nerves, driving her off the edge of cliff with a satisfactory moan escaping from Belle as her rapture took hold of her. She could not think of anything else than prolonging her orgasm. Gyrating her hips to increase the waves that lapped through her body. Her pleasure ran through her body quicker than wild fire, flushing her cheeks a scarlet red.

Slowly her cry of ecstasy died down as her body quivered. Her high hung around her head the longest, hazing her from thinking straight. She was lost inside herself. Unable to do anything else than breath, her chest heaving as she panted.

Rumald touched the sensitive skin at the side of her stomach. The touch was electrifying and unwanted in that moment. With lighting fast reaction, Belle slapped his hand away and snuggled the side of her face into the pillow under her head. Edging to lie beside her, spooning in behind her, Rumald chuckled at her reaction and removed the blind fold by hooking his thumb under it, and flung the tie to the floor of the bedroom. She kept her eyes shut, wanting to stay in the trance of her rapture.

His fingers fluttered down her side, as he said to her. "Don't get too comfortable." She lulled her head in his direction, opening her eyes to look at him. "I've got more plans for you that involves chocolate and more champagne."

Songs: Joshua Radin – What if you  
Sting – Fragile  
Karliene – For the Man I Loved  
Laura Pausini – One More Time  
Andrew Belle – In my Veins  
Rag'n'Bone Man – Love You Any Less


	93. Chapter 93

The coffee shop was bustling with people coming and going, shouting coffee orders to the baristas behind the counter. Belle was happily sat in a corner of the coffee shop, a book in her hand whilst her tea cooled on the table with a slice of cake waiting next to it. Crossing her legs and readjusting her skirt, her foot brushed over some of the bags at her feet, whilst she turned the page in her book. She had spent the majority of the morning wandering from store to store and had managed to get most of her Christmas shopping finished. With the gifts she had locked away safe at home, there were only a few left to get but they could wait for another weekend. Right now, Belle was doing as she had been told and was pampering herself – cake, tea and a book – What more could she want?

When Belle had awoken, she had searched the bed to find him but had found nothing but bedsheets where he should have been. Tilting her head up off the pillow, she had looked distantly off into the other room, listening for signs of life. She had not had to long for him to make a noise. Her time in Grannies had tuned her hearing to the sound of an empty coffee cup being placed onto a table, readily posed with the coffee pot to top it back up.

She had climbed out of the bed, heaving the sheets off herself and had ambled through into the other room. Naked, Belle had crossed the room to where he had sat at the table and chairs, his head had bobbed to whatever music he had been listening to through his earphones. For a moment, she had thought he had been sat there completely naked until she had spotted his white boxers. Inwardly she had been disappointed he had not been, enjoying the thought of him being naked too.

"Hey," She had whispered sliding her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts up against his bare back. "Come back to bed."

Rumald had chuckled leaning back into her embrace as he plucked an earphone out of his ear, and had said. "I would love to, sweetheart, but…" He had paused for dramatic effect, while he had picked up his iPad. "I think I might have a solution to Hyde problem."

"Okay… So, why can't you come back to bed then?" Belle had asked, turning her face to kiss his sideburn.

"Did you not get enough last night?" He had inquired angling his head to see her face.

A sultry smile had spread her lips wide as she had said. "I could never get enough of you, Mr Gold."

His eyes had twinkled, a spark of lust and amusement, as he had leaned into her and had captured her lips. She had circled around him and sat into his lap, smirking as she had kissed him, feeling the beginnings of his arousal grow beneath her.

Belle felt her cheeks flush as she recalled dragging him back to bed to have her way with him. Lowering her book down, her gaze swept over the coffee shop, sure, that someone could see exactly what she was thinking as she picked up her cup of tea and sipped tentatively from it. She shifted on the bench seat placing her cup back onto its saucer and raised her book back up to read it, while she waited for Rumald to arrive as they had agreed.

She had been lounging on the couch in their room reading her book, when Rumald had knelt down behind the couch and had folded his arms onto the top of it. His hair had been smoothed back over his head from his shower, his face freshly shaven. Rumald had smiled at her, revealing his gold tooth to her, before he had flicked up his hand to reveal a credit card to her. Her eyebrows had shot up at the silver card.

"Now, don't get all excited with me." Rumald had begun to tell her. "I want you to have no worries this weekend, especially about money. I want you to have whatever you want, no matter the cost. So… I got you a card to my account."

"Rumald, I don't need your money." She had said exasperated, abruptly dropping her book to lay face down on her stomach. "If I can't afford something, then I can't have it. Simple."

There had been a softness in his eyes as he had reached over the back of the couch and stroked his thumb over her cheek. "It's not my money. It's our money. And you can have whatever you want." His fingers slid into the hair behind her ear, cupping her cheek as he had continued. "I'm not him. You never have to worry about money."

The hairs on the back of her neck had prickled at the mention of her father. It was not a subject, which they often spoke about. The less said about her father, the better for everyone. A sour reminder of the three weeks they had spent apart because of his lies.

"Just take it and pamper yourself." Rumald had urged offering the card nearer to her. Her eyes had drifted to the silver card, glistening in the sunlight from the windows. A part of her had wanted to take the card from his extended fingers and fling it across the room, disgusted with his offer. Her need for independence was stronger than it ever had been. Finally out from being enslaved to her father's selfishness.

But… Rumald was not him.

There would be no comebacks from spending money. No repercussions for putting herself first. No haunting knocks at the door. She would never come home to find someone had let themselves into their home and was helping themselves to their belongings. Never would she be up in the early hours of the morning, nursing Rumald's cuts after he had taken a beaten for not paying his debts. Her reluctance was absurd as she had lay there going through these thoughts in her head, while Rumald had remained hunched over the back of the couch, offering the plastic card towards her.

Gradually Belle had raised her hand and had taken the offered card from him, watching a broad smile sweep Rumald's lips wide. She had seen in Rumald's eyes how much it meant to him. Fore filling his need to provide for her, to care for her.

"Good!" He had said jumping up from the back of the couch and had leant over the couch to kiss her forehead. "Now, go out and treat yourself, and I'll meet you as soon as I'm done here."

Using his card, she had treated herself to the book she was reading, enjoying it so much she had already read half of it. It might not have been what Rumald had envisioned she would spend his money on, but the small step was big enough for Belle. The haunting feeling that the other shoe would drop any minute lingered as she sipped from her cup of tea with her eyes drifting to the entrance of the coffee shop.

A gruff puff of air escaped the man that dropped onto the bench seat near her, taking up residence at the empty table beside hers. Belle did not pay him attention. She returned her cup to its saucer and found her place on her page, running her eyes over the lines in her book. As she turned the page in her book after devouring it, Belle began to feel eyes on her, watching her, studying her as she settled back to read the next page in her book. Their eyes burnt into her, their gaze lingered slightly too long for Belle's liking. Chancing a glance up from her book, she swept her eyes round to find the man, who had sat down at the table beside her own, was staring at her.

His appearance did not scream sociopath. He was well groomed. His hair was combed, his greying hair parted perfectly. There were signs of wrinkles on his face, but not as deep as Rumald's. Life had been kinder to the man next to her. The longer she looked at him, the more she noticed that there was something familiar about his eyes. The wrong colour, but familiar. He was dressed smartly wearing an overcoat on top of a black suit. Her eyes drifted to his leather clad hands, propped on top of the gold handle of his cane.

Scrunching her brow at his scrutinising gaze, Belle was about to return to reading her book, when the man said to her in a Scottish accent. "How is the tea, dear?"

His question drew her to look at him again before she chanced a look at her tea on her table. "Oh… It's okay."

She smiled politely at him and went back to her book, as he said. "I've never really found a cup of tea on this side of the sea to be enjoyable." Slowly, Belle moved her gaze back to him, seeing him readjust his grip on his cane. "Tastes like dishwater."

"Yes, well…" Belle could not shake the feeling that she knew him. "I always find it's hit or miss, when you're out. Never the same as making it yourself."

"Even making yourself can be hit or miss, my dear." The man leant forward, the corner of his lip pulled back into half a smile.

"Sometimes." She said to him, observing him cock his head to the side and his smile broaden.

His eyes glistened with amusement as he asked. "Here on your own?"

Belle folded down the corner of her page and shut her book, saying. "I'm meeting my fiancé."

"Fiancé?" He questioned inclining himself back on the bench seat.

As she deposited her book into one of the shopping bags, Belle observed him from the corner of her eye. He readjusted his overcoat, whilst he laid his hand back on top of the hand holding his cane and forced a smile onto his face. Something gnawed at her. She felt like she knew him, knew his face. It was on the tip of tongue, teasing her, but alluded her.

The man glanced towards the entrance of the coffee shop. "Your fiancé must be a brave or an idiot to let you out of his sight. To let a beautiful woman, like yourself, to wander about New York on your own must be a crime. I'm surprised you hadn't been accosted before I sat down."

"He knows I can take care of myself." Belle commented reaching for her tea as she studied his face. He smiled. The knowing look in his eyes was beginning to irritate her. It was as if he knew the question, which was swimming around inside her head, and obviously knew the answer.

Titling his head to the side, his eyes roamed from Belle's face and down her body. Tiny bugs crawling all over her skin accompanied the path of his gaze over her body. It was a weird sensation and one she had never encountered before. Something inside of her screamed to get up and leave as soon as she could, but… Her curiosity got the better of her. Not knowing the answer to his identity, when she felt as if she should know him, would drive her insane.

"It's not you, dearie, it's everyone else." He commented while waving his hand to get the attention of a waitress, who was serving a table a couple over from them. "If you were mine, I'd never let you out of my sight."

Belle had only ever encountered one person who used the word 'dearie' and he was wandering the streets of New York. The pieces of the puzzle began to fit together as her eyebrows rose up her forehead, creasing long lines across her forehead. If he still had the beard, she had seen in so many photos, she would have recognised him straight away. His shaven face made him look younger than the sixty-seven years he had lived.

"It's a good job I'm not yours then." She retorted re-examining his face, taking in all the details.

His eyes glinted with the grin on his face. "You could be."

Bracing a polite smile at him, a grimace hidden behind it, Belle said. "Another life time, maybe."

"Coffee, please." He told the young woman when she came over to his table and was gone again as he said. "I'll have to suffice with the precious time I have alone with you, until your fiancé arrives."

"He won't be long." She informed him, her eyes fleeting from him to the entrance for a second, praying Rumald would step through the door.

"Oh, I know he won't be." The man said, thanking the waitress with a curt nod of his head and offered her a dollar bill as she placed his cup of coffee onto the table. Glancing between the two of them, the woman took the money from him and stepped back from the table.

After sipping from his coffee, the man carried on by saying. "Mike assures me that we have some time together." He with care placed his cup down onto the table. "Supposedly he's window shopping at a jewel shop around the corner."

"Excuse me?" Belle could not hide the surprise in her voice.

"I'm sure, Miss French, you've worked out who I am." He said lifting one of his legs to cross over the over, his foot brushed over the handles of her shopping bags.

Normally, when her formal name was said in that brogue, a heat would ignite deep within herself. But, hearing him say it… Boiled her temper. There was not anything about him that she found herself liking. Not even the resemblances she could see, which reminded her of Rumald and Albert. She was never one to judge a book by its cover, but him, Malcolm Gold, she would have happily taken his cane from him and beat him senseless with it. It was no more than what the man deserved for torment he had inflicted upon Rumald.

"You know my name?" Belle inquired with her brow pressing hard down over her eyes.

"Miss Belle French." Malcolm replied. "Storybrooke's town librarian."

"How do you…?" Her voice trailed off.

He took another greedy sip from his coffee before he said. "Just because he and his first wife finished on bad terms. Does not mean I don't talk to my ex-daughter in law." He smiled. "Now there's a woman, who goes after what she wants."

"A woman who would push you under a bus, if it got her what she wanted." Belle said dryly, her eyes wandered to the entrance of the coffee shop, silently pleading for Rumald.

Malcolm chuckled. "I'm sure she would."

Centring her attention solely on Malcolm, Belle's irritation got the better of her. "Is there something I can help you with, Mr Gold?"

His greying eyebrows lifted, surprised by the change in her tone. "You've got a feisty side." He raised his cup to his lips saying. "I like that in a woman."

"That's nice." She said briefly smiling at him and then asked again. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Oh, dearie, I'm sure you'll already do what I want you to do. There's no need for me to explain." Malcolm said cryptically.

"Excuse me?" Belle watched as Malcolm unfolded his legs and drank once more from his cup, while he stood up with the aid of his walking stick. Shuffling from one foot to the other, he edged his way out from the table and stopped on the other, placing his coffee cup onto the table. Malcolm smiled at her. Maybe if she had met him without knowing his past, she may have found him handsome. However, his smile and everything about him repulse her.

"Enjoy your time in New York, Miss French." Malcolm told her and gracefully turned on his heel, and left the coffee shop. Sitting there, she waited for him to leave, making sure he was gone, before she dived forward and rifled through her handbag in the sea of shopping bags by her feet. Belle grumbled to herself, finding her phone at the bottom of her bag, and quickly pressed Rumald's contact.

It rung as she stared at the door to the coffee shop. Each ring only served to annoy her. After hearing the eighth ring in her ear, Belle sucked in her lower lip and worried the tender skin, digging her teeth into the small indents she had created over the years. She squeezed her eyes shut on the tenth ring. Suddenly it went to voicemail, the annoying greeting of 'Gold, leave me a message' taunted her and drew a groan out of her. After the beep, she instructed Rumald to call her as soon as he got the message, while she opened her eyes to watch him enter casually into the coffee shop. Holding the phone away from her ear, she frowned at it and did a double take from her phone to Rumald before the thought to end the call entered her head.

The corner of Rumald's lip quirked up into his breath taking half a smile, when he spotted her across the coffee shop. He made short work of navigating his way through the tables and kissed her soundly on the lips, cutting her off as she tried to speak to him.

"Sorry," He said pulling out the chair opposite her at her table and sat down saying. "Just got my lovely fiancée one last Christmas present."

"Rumald, your…" She began to say but was cut off by Rumald leaning to the side, eyeing her bags on the floor. "Wow! Did you finish all of your Christmas shopping? Or did you go to town treating yourself?"

Taken aback by his questions, Belle answered him. "No, I finished my Christmas shopping."

"We'll have to buy a bag to put some of this stuff in. I don't think we'll get it all in our suitcases." Rumald surmised straightening himself in his seat.

"Your fath…" Belle tried to tell him, but was further irritated by him interrupting her again by asking. "Do you want another cup of tea?"

"Yes." She answered to which Rumald nodded his head and looked round to gain a waitress's attention.

"Rumald." She tried again and was thankful when he simply just looked at her without saying anything. Looking at him, the happiness she saw on his face made the corner of her lips turn up into a smile. He raised his eyebrows expectantly at her, whilst she sat helplessly taking in the sight of him.

Belle knew as soon as she told him about his father, the wonderful look upon his face would be gone. Their weekend would be ruined. His mood would sour. Much like it did when Milah was mentioned. Selfishly she could not do that to him as she sat there pondering it over. Yes, she should tell him about his father, she knew she should, but… Was that not what his father wanted?

"Yeah?" Rumald reached over the table and clasped her hand on the table, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Swallowing hard, she pushed on and forced her smile wide as she said. "I love you."

"I love you too." He responded instantly with a chuckle. His eyes squinted at her for a second whilst he turned his head back to search for a waitress. Belle knew that look. He was not stupid. He probably felt that she was holding something back. Rumald always knew. Knew when she was down, knew when her thoughts were troubled, knew when she needed him to hug her. He knew her too well to not know she was holding something back from him. Later he would probably ask, but at least until then Belle would have more time to think about what she was going to tell him.


	94. Chapter 94

The car bounced as they pulled up into the driveway of the house. Rumald smiled at Belle as he put the gear lever into park and switched off the engine. Her smile had not left her face all weekend, even the times she had forced it for his sake. An innocent want to have a drama free weekend was quickly becoming a burden, a heavy chain slung around her neck. Surprisingly Rumald seemed not notice there was anything wrong. Although, he had thrown himself head first into playing tour guide for her, taking her around the usual tourist spots in New York, cramming as much into their afternoon and evening together.

The car rocked with Rumald exiting the car and slammed his door behind himself, leaving Belle alone in the warmth of the car. The second she was sure he could not see her, the smile on her face faltered as she thought about how she was going to tell him about meeting his father. There could not be any real harm in telling him now. She doubted he would fly off the handle and storm off in hunt of his father, now that they were safe back in Storybrooke. The worse possibly would be an enraged phone call to his father and she would receive the death glare.

She caught sight of Rumald carrying the extra bag, they had purchased for her shopping, up to the house. Apart from their weekend alone at the cabin, this was the most relaxed she had seen him. The crow's feet that had plagued around his eyes on Friday were gone. Losing himself deep into thought had stopped now that he had his plan for Mr Hyde, which he was yet to share with her.

Her phone beeped bringing her attention down to her lap. On the screen of her phone was a text from Ruby, enquiring what time she should come by the house. Her gaze went passed the message and fixed onto the picture of Rumald she had taken in New York. He had been looking out over the view of New York from the observation deck of the Empire State building. His eyes had been half shut to protect against the harsh cold wind. Casually Rumald had braced himself up the metal fence surrounding the observation deck, one hand on the fence and the other had held his overcoat aside, his hand hidden in the pocket of his jeans. He was not smiling, if anything his expression was quite plain. However, Belle could not have helped herself in the moment; she had felt an engulfing need to photograph him. Breathless at how handsome he had looked.

"Are you getting out of that car?" Rumald called from outside of the car, traipsing across the front lawn to the open trunk of his car. Rolling her eyes at his question, she swiped her thumb over the screen of her phone and unlocked her phone to reply to Ruby's message. The message was sent at the same time Rumald closed the trunk of the car.

As Belle collected her handbag and the plastic bag of snacks they had bought at the airport, she could hear their bags rolling down to the sidewalk and then back up the front lawn path. She glanced to her left to see Rumald pass by with their two bags in tow behind him. Her phone beeped while Belle watched him lower the handles on their bags and carry them up into the house. Closing her eyes, she cursed her own selfishness.

Forcefully Belle yanked open her car door and braced herself as she stepped out of the warmth of the car into the cold. A shiver ran up her spine from the back of her legs, whilst she slammed her car door shut. Normally Belle would have quicken her step to get into the house sooner, but the guilt on her shoulders was weighing her down. How was she supposed to tell him now? She knew he would be mad with her. Knew he would react to the fact he was not there. React to the fact his father had sort her out to give him a message. With the endless possibilities swimming around in her head, Belle climbed the steps to the porch and entered through the front door that Rumald had left open for her.

"'Bout time you found your way into the house." Rumald commented knelt in front of the fireplace, shaking his hand through the air, extinguishing the match he had used to light the fire. "Was on the verge of sending a search party out for you."

"I was just… Answering Ruby's text. She's going to be here in a minute." Belle told him, hoping it sounded plausible even though it technically was not a lie.

Rumald's eyebrows rose for a second as he stood up, aiding himself with the mantel above the fire. "Did she smell you were back in Storybrooke?"

"What?" She laughed at his question and pulled an amused face at him, whilst she stepped into the living room and dropped her handbag and the plastic bag into the nearest armchair. "Smelled me?"

"You do smell rather nice." He commented with his normal half a smile gracing his features as he negotiated the coffee table to join her by the armchair that she had dumped her things. Angling her head slightly away from him, she smiled gazing at him as he slid his arms by her sides and wrapped them loosely around her waist.

One at a time, she slung her arms around his neck as she questioned. "Smell rather nice, do I?"

Rumald's smile broadened with the other corner of his lips lifting, revealing the other dimple in his cheek. "Good enough to eat, dearie."

Rolling her eyes at him, Belle tiptoed up the small distance and captured his lips, kissing him moderately compared to how they had greeted one another, when they had woken up in the hotel room. Rumald splayed a hand over her upper back, pressing her further into him. Her fingers combed through his hair at the back of his head, enjoying the soft silky feel of his hair.

An unknown thought about his father popped into her head. An enquiry into whether his father's hair felt the same as his son's hair. His hair was about the same length as Rumald's hair, though it was hard to tell with it all perfectly moulded into a side parting. Not a piece of his hair was out of place, much as Rumald's hair was when he was working or keeping up appearances. It was obvious Rumald had learnt his dress sense from his own father, either in an attempt to win his father's graces or because his father had instilled the habits into his son.

Pulling his lips away from her, Rumald's eyes searched for something in Belle's eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Never better." She lied smiling at him.

His eyebrows crowded down over his eyes, while his hand slipped down the back of her coat to join his other hand around her waist. "Sure? Just… You've seemed like somethings been on your mind."

"Just thinking about the baby." Belle hated herself as she said it. "Got a lot to plan and organise."

"You don't need to worry about any of that." He smiled reassuringly at her and tightened his hold around her. "We'll take care of it all together. You just concentrate on looking after you and them." Rumald diverted his gaze down, smiling sweetly.

Her breath shuddered as she breathed out, touched by his words but haunted by her thoughts of his father. It felt as if his father was looming over her shoulder, breathing down her neck, his hand firmly clasping on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and ducked her head to Rumald's chest, hiding herself away from his knowing eyes and selfishly seeking comfort inside of his arms. Her forehead bumped his chin and Rumald chuckled, readjusting his arms around her to cradle her against his chest. The comfort she sought after in his arms, only served to weigh even heavily on the secret she was keeping to herself. She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped at a handful of his hair, desperate for the guilt to lift.

The doorbell rang.

Kissing the top of her head, Rumald unwrapped his arms from her and left her in the living room to answer the front door. Belle remained stood in the living room unmoving. Her eyes were tightly shut to the world. She could hear her mother's voice inside her head, telling her to be brave. Hearing the ghostly voice of her mother empowered Belle and she spun round on the spot, needing to tell him about his father.

"Rumald…" She called at the same time he opened the front door, revealing Ruby waiting out on the porch.

"Take your time! Geez!" Ruby chastised quickly hopping into the entrance hall. "It's freezing out there!" She exclaimed flicking back the hood of her red hoodie she wore underneath her coat.

Rumald shook his head at her closing the door. "Maybe if you were to wear more appropriate clothing, dearie, you wouldn't feel the cold so much."

"You're starting to sound like Granny." Ruby scrunched her brow at him as she unbuttoned her coat.

"A woman with some common sense." He remarked and smiled playfully at Ruby. "Too bad it didn't pass down in the genes."

"Good job, Al got his looks from his mother then." She threw back at him, throwing her coat off her shoulders to drop down her arms.

"Hey!" Belle hollered from the living room.

Rumald waved his hand at her, chuckling at Ruby's comment. "It's fine, Belle." He said strolling away from Ruby in the direction of the kitchen. "I'm glad he inherited her looks, because we all know who he inherited his genius from and we know brains go a lot further than looks."

"Was that a jest at me?" Ruby asked looking to Belle in the living room.

There was a laugh in the kitchen, followed by Rumald's disembodied voice. "If you need to ask, says it all, dearie."

"He's in a good mood." Ruby whispered to Belle, when she had entered the entrance hall. The pair of them glance through into the kitchen to see Rumald stood over the sink, kettle in hand, filling it with some water from the tap. He was gazing out of the kitchen window at nothing in particular, seeing as the only view from that view was at the side of the garage. Ruby was right though. He was in a good mood. Why should she spoil it?

"Belle…?" Ruby touched Belle's upper arm, still clad in her coat. "You okay?"

At hearing the question in the kitchen, Rumald's attention turned from the kitchen window to them in the entrance hall. Belle showed him a smile before turning to Ruby and showed her the same smile.

"I'm fine. Sorry, I zoned out for a second." She explained as she stripped herself out of her coat to hang on an empty peg. Ruby did the same with her own coat, but was still haunted by the coldness of outside as she rubbed her hands together, pausing to blow a breath between her hands.

Gesturing to the living room, Belle led Ruby into the living room with an arm around her friend's back. At seeing the fire that was burning happily away in the fireplace, Ruby plopped herself down into the free armchair and held her hands out towards the flames. Belle claimed her usual spot on the couch and toed off her flat shoes to curl her legs up beside her on the couch.

"How was it?" Ruby inquired, twisting her head to see Belle over her shoulder. "How was New York?"

"Big!" Belle chuckled flexing her toes as she thought about all the walking she had done that weekend.

"Yeah, just a bit. There's probably still loads you still haven't seen yet." Ruby told her, shifting further back into the armchair she inhabited.

Her eyes widened at realisation there was more to see in New York before Belle said. "Guess another trip to New York at some point then."

"I have to come next time!" Ruby stated to Belle, smiling and gesturing to herself.

Belle laughed. "Course." The memory of what Rumald had said at dinner came to mind. "We can make a weekend of it!" She added excitedly.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Ruby replied pressing her brow down over her eyes.

"What? Why?" Belle raised an eyebrow at Ruby.

Shrugging and angling her head to the side, Ruby pulled a face saying. "If you go by the talk of the town, Rumald will never let you go anywhere on your own." Belle rolled her eyes at Ruby's jest, while Ruby carried on. "You know, you father traded your freedom to pay his debts and then skipped town. Rumald's never going to let you leave! You're his forever!"

"Oh, shut up!" She shook her head at Ruby. "Stupid rumours!"

Ruby giggled as Rumald came into the living room carrying two large cups in his hands. "I'm only messing with you."

"Hot chocolate, ladies." Rumald nodded his head down to the large cups and offered them to Ruby and Belle.

"Thank you." Ruby said taking the offered cup from him and then quickly put the cup down on the arm of the chair, hissing at the hotness of her cup.

Belle sniggered at her friend whilst she took the large cup from Rumald and placed it on the end table by the arm of the couch, saying. "Thanks, Rumald."

"While, you ladies, gossip." Rumald rubbed his hands together and then waved them to gesture to the two of them. "I'm going to pop to Gladius's and get some paperwork I need."

"We're not gossiping." Ruby defended and took a hesitant sip from her hot chocolate.

He looked at Ruby with disbelief written all over his face and then moved his gaze to Belle, saying. "I won't be long. Ten minutes tops."

"Okay." She said smiling up at him. Rumald returned her smile and stooped down to peck a kiss on her cheek. Her hand came up to touch his face, blushing as she thought of all the other places he had kissed that weekend. He stood up with a whisper of 'I love you' and waltzed off into the entrance hall to reclaim his overcoat from the coat hooks. With a flare of his arm, he hooked his scarf around his neck and tucked it inside his overcoat, whilst he yanked open the front door letting a waft of cold air enter the house for a few seconds before he exited the house.

"So!" Ruby bounced further round in the armchair to face Belle. "Tell me details!"

"Well…" Belle smiled thinking back over their time in New York. "Rumald took me around all the tourist spots. We did some shopping and I got my…"

Ruby interrupted her. "No!" Her grin showed her pearly white teeth to Belle. "Tell me the details!"

Knowing what Ruby wanted to know; Belle smirked and drew her lower lip into her mouth, digging her upper teeth into the soft skin. As she thought back over Friday and Saturday and their escapades in their hotel room, Belle closed her eyes at the memory, privately savouring the moments. Running through her memories from Friday to Saturday, too quickly she ran through what happened Friday night and Saturday morning, and came Earth shattering back to the memory of Rumald's father in the coffee shop.

Alarmed Belle opened her eyes and scrunched her brow at the memory as Ruby pushed. "Come on! Did he like the lingerie?"

Slightly distracted by the memory and her guilt, Belle responded. "Yeah, he likes it."

"See I told you!" Ruby slapped her thigh, beaming about being right as she babbled about another shopping trip to buy more lingerie.

Belle had stopped listening. She slowly closed her eyes. Ruby's voice became background noise as Belle went through how she would tell Rumald, trying to fathom a way not to upset him. A task she knew would be impossible.

"Belle?" Ruby called with her tone full of concern.

Opening her eyes, she found Ruby questioning her with a look, hunched over the arm of the chair. Briefly, she closed her eyes again, wishing for some strength, and opened her eyes again to force a smile for her friend. It was too late though. Ruby was as bad as Rumald. They both could tell when something was plaguing Belle's thoughts. Zoning out had only served to make Ruby aware of it.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked getting up from the armchair and moved to take the space beside Belle on the couch, sitting cross-legged on the couch.

"Nothing's wrong." Belle said and sipped from her hot chocolate, taking the precious time to think of anything that would put Ruby off the scent. "Just tired from the flight and playing tourist."

Lines formed across Ruby's forehead, an obvious sign Ruby was not buying it. "Belle, I'm not stupid." Ruby's left eyebrow lifted up her forehead. "What's up? Did you not have a good time? Did he upset you?"

Belle straightened her back, alarmed that Ruby would think Rumald had upset her. "What? Rumald? No!" She shook her head putting her hot chocolate back on the end table. "No, it's not Rumald."

"So there is something wrong." Ruby pointed her finger accusingly at Belle.

Sighing loudly, Belle's shoulders slumped as the weight of her secret crushed her. "I met Rumald's father in New York."

"Really!" Ruby excitedly exclaimed. "You didn't say in your texts. What was he like? I didn't think Rumald and his father get on."

"I didn't say, because Rumald was with me the whole time and I haven't told him yet." She informed Ruby, gesturing wildly with her hand.

"Wait… He doesn't know? Wasn't he there?" Her friend questioned with her frown returning to her forehead.

Breathing in deeply, Belle shifted on the couch to face her friend more and shifted her legs, so instead of them curled up next to her, they were drawn up to her chest giving her something to hug as she explained. "Rumald stayed in the hotel room to sort this Hyde situation out and told me to go out shopping. I was waiting for him in a coffee shop, when this man, his father, sat down beside me. He went before Rumald turned up."

Ruby's brow was scrunched into many lines and pressed down over her eyes, as she asked. "Hang on, what did he want?"

"I'm guessing just to upset Rumald." She shrugged her shoulders at Ruby. "Told me, he was sure I'd do what he wanted." Belle told her, focusing her gaze to the top of her knees.

"Which is why you haven't told Rumald." Ruby supplied as she thought it through.

"Now I just feel guilty." Belle said changing her position on the couch and grabbed the cushion from beside her to hug tightly to her chest.

Ruby touched Belle's shoulder as she said. "You're just feeling guilty, because you're keeping something from him." Then Ruby gave her lopsided smile. "You're only problem is, his father is going to get what he wants."

"What'd you mean?" She questioned whilst trying to see Ruby's point before she explained.

Her shoulders lifted and dropped at Belle's question. "He's going to go psycho." Ruby stated. "If you'd told him in New York, he would've gone nuts at his dad." Edging closer, Ruby put her arm around Belle's shoulders and drew her into half a hug. "Now you've kept something from him, he's going to go nuts at you."

"What?" Belle jerked partly out of Ruby's hold. "No! No, he wouldn't!"

"You should tell him." Her friend advised and took a drink from her hot chocolate.

"How am I supposed to tell him now after you've said that?" She threw at her friend as a thought dawn to her. "Oh god… What if he reacts like he did when my father lied to him?"

Ruby's eyes widened for a second. "Chance you've got to take." She shrugged her shoulders at Belle again. "The longer you leave it the worse it'll be. Believe me, Granny always made my punishments worse when it took me longer to come clean."

Her mother's voice telling her to brave and bravery will follow whispered to her as Belle smothered her face into the cushion. "I should've told him."

"Hindsight's a bitch." Ruby informed her, rubbing her hand in a comforting motion over Belle's upper back.

"He was just so happy… So relaxed… I didn't want to ruin it." Belle explained after lifting her face out of the cushion.

Clutching Belle close to her side, Ruby reassured her by saying. "I'm sure, he'll understand."


	95. Chapter 95

Pouting her lips with her chin resting in the palm of her hand, Belle sat at her desk in her office propping herself over the desk as she muddled over the best way to tell Rumald about his father. After Ruby had left the previous evening and Rumald had returned, she had tried to tell him when he had arrived home, but he had excused himself to his study and had spent the majority of the evening in there. Yes, she had coward out of telling him, had welcomed the excuse not to tell him. However as she had laid in his arms, the guilt of not telling him had kept her awake for most of the night. Rumald had been too distracted at breakfast to notice the bags under her eyes as he had kissed her quickly on the cheek and had left in a rush.

Belle groaned and moved her hand from her chin to cover her eyes. She had to tell him, she knew that. With that thought in mind, Belle dropped her hand down from her face and let her arm fall limp down onto her desk, landing on top of the paperwork she had been going through, when her thoughts had wandered to Rumald. Drawing in a deep breath, she mentally told herself to tell Rumald as soon as he arrived home that night and she would deal with the consequences then.

As she picked up some of the requisition forms to go through them again, there was a knock at her office door. Her eyebrows briefly raised up her forehead, surprised by the interruption and laid down the papers as she called for them to come in. Leaning back into her chair, the door opened to reveal Milah on the other side of the door. Belle's face contorted between surprised and disgust as Milah stepped into her office, carrying a baby carrier, wearing a sickly smile on her face.

"Just the woman I wanted to see." Milah said in greetings, closing the door to Belle's office.

"What can I do for you, Milah?" Belle asked watching Milah as she placed the baby carrier down into one of the chairs, sat on the other side of her desk, and dropped into the other free chair.

The corners of Milah's lips quirked before she said. "I just went to see Rumald in his shop, but he's not there, so I thought I'd come and see you about it."

"About what?" She inquired glancing from Milah to the baby carrier.

"Christmas." Milah stated flatly.

"What about it?" Belle questioned squinting her eyes slightly Milah.

Milah rolled her eyes at Belle and said. "It's my Christmas to have Albert."

"Right… And?" Belle pushed trying to get Milah's point.

"I want to know when Rumald's dropping him off." Milah said looking expectantly at Belle.

Her brow pressed down over her eyes as Belle thought over it and said to Milah. "This isn't a conversation to be having with me. That's a discussion to have with Rumald and Bae."

Milah shifted in her chair, uncomfortable with Belle calling Albert, Bae. Watching her carefully over her desk, Belle could feel there was more to the conversation than Milah was letting on. Never had Milah come to her. Refused to have any sort of conversation with her apart from their few exchanges of heated words. She was more than sure, if Milah had gone to find Rumald, she would have done her usual and constantly rung Rumald's phone until he answered out of frustration.

"Seeing as my son isn't speaking to me at the minute. It might be a bit hard to have that conversation with him." Milah told her with her sickly smile returning to grace her lips.

Belle's eyebrows scrunched further together. "Then it's up to you to sort it out with him, when he returns."

"No, no." Milah chuckled and leaned forward in her chair. "That's something for you to sort out when he returns."

"Excuse me?" Belle twisted her head slightly, turning her ear to favour Milah; sure she had missed heard the other woman.

"You're going to sort it, so my son joins me for Christmas and Rumald is to drop him off Christmas Eve afternoon." Milah instructed, gesturing to herself when she spoke.

"You're joking, right?" She shook her head unbelieving Milah.

Purposefully, Milah lifted her leg to cross over the other and smirked across at Belle. "I had a very interesting chat with an old friend the other night." Milah paused and let her eyes drift over to the baby carrier. "We talk from time to time. And he told me, how he happened to meet a young woman in a coffee shop in New York."

The penny dropped.

"So…" Belle inwardly wanted to throw everything on her desk at Milah, hating the woman more than she had anyone in her life.

"Knowing how Rumald reacts about his father. I know you haven't told him." Milah said slanting herself over in the direction of the carrier as she reached into the carrier to tuck the blanket under the baby's chin. "If you don't want him to know, then I suggest you organise for my son to join me this Christmas."

Blinking her eyes in disbelief, Belle slumped in her chair deflated at the idea of being blackmailed. Milah sat happily on the other side of the desk with her hand lingering on the edge of the baby carrier. The idea that her deception from Rumald could go from bad to worse had never occurred to her. Pressing her lips into a thin line, Belle contemplated jumping over her desk and beating the living daylights out of Milah, even if it only served to make her feel better. Physical violence had never been Belle's first choice, but she could make an exception for Milah as they sat in her office in silence.

Belle shook her head forcefully and leant forward in her chair to lean onto the desk's edge with her elbows as she said. "I shouldn't be surprised by you trying to blackmail me. You'll quite happily drop yourself to any level to get what you want."

"Too bad, there isn't a bus around." Milah chided.

"Yeah, too bad." Belle sat unresponsive to Milah's jibe. "'Cause you'll be waiting a long time to throw me under the bus."

"Really?" Milah cocked her head to the side, her sick smile broadened.

Pointing her finger at her office door, Belle said. "Take your baby and get the hell out of my office."

Milah stood and straightened her coat. "That's okay. I do enjoy seeing Rumald lose it. I'm sure, I'll bump into him somewhere. It being a small town."

Belle remained silent as Milah collected the baby carrier and waltzed to the closed office door. With a glance over her shoulder at Belle, Milah grinned at her before snatching open the door and left leaving the door open behind her. Helplessly, Belle watched as Milah walked through the library, cooing to her baby in the carrier while she headed to the exit of the library. Another brief glance back in Belle's direction and Milah pushed open the door to the library, exiting out into the cold afternoon.

Slowly closing her eyes, Belle clenched her fists tightly, digging her nails into the palm of her hands. An innocent, selfish want for their weekend to remain drama free was now escalating into a full-blown hurricane. If Milah got to Rumald first, she could twist the truth into whatever she wanted to tell him, much as her father had done. The thought of Rumald believing whatever lie Milah came up with scared Belle more than anything.

In a rush, she swept her arms over her desk and knocked paperwork and items off her desk. The papers floated, swaying from side to side in the air, while the heavier items dropped with a clonk onto the floor. Cradling her forehead in between her hands, Belle propped her head up on the desk with her elbows, torn between screaming and crying.

"Everything alright?" Came a voice from the open doorway. Belle jerked her head up from the palm of her hands to see Janice stood in the doorway to her office. Janice's eyes were directed to the mess over the floor, eyeing the different papers scattered over the floor.

Embarrassed, Belle jumped up from her desk and waved a dismissive hand towards Janice; whilst she knelt down to collect the papers together. "Everything's fine, Janice."

Janice came into Belle's office and stooped down to help gather the papers together, as she said. "Sorry, I didn't see her until she had knocked and entered your office."

"Don't worry about it." Belle said beaming a smile over at Janice.

"I don't know whatever Mr Gold saw in her or what all men see in her." Janice commented placing a stack onto Belle's desk. "She's vile."

"Young and drink." Belle told her dryly as she climbed up onto her feet and put her pile onto the desk.

Janice stood up from the floor and placed the stationary items she had collected onto the desk, saying. "Sure, you're okay?"

"Yes, Janice." Her shoulders slumped at the question, the tension Milah had created eased. "Go on, I'll sort this out."

"Cup of tea?" Janice questioned gesturing to the kettle in the corner.

"That would be nice." She said nodding her head at Janice. Turning her back on Belle, Janice took the few steps over to the kettle and began preparing cups for their drinks. Stood at the edge of her desk, Belle perched her weight onto the corner of her the desk with her hands and closed her eyes, bowing her head down. Silently she wished they were still in New York. A never-ending weekend, where it was just the two of them, drama free.


	96. Chapter 96

Belle's keys chinked and clanked as she locked the entrance door to the library. Her shoulders were hunched up, trying to protect her neck from the harsh cold of the evening. Huddled close to the library's entrance door as she locked it, Belle shook her head at her disbelief of how cold the evening had become. She slid the key back out of the lock and bagged her keys into her handbag as she glanced over to Rumald's shop to see everything was close up for the evening and his car was missing from its usual spot in the alleyway beside the shop. Her lips pressed into a thin line whilst she turned in the direction of her car, walking away with her back to Rumald's shop.

After Milah had left her office, it had left her feeling out of sorts, desperate to be the one to tell him first before Milah got to him. Belle knew, if Milah went to Rumald, she would lose all power to blackmail Belle. But Milah was unpredictable. The woman knew no bounds, if it meant she could get what she wanted, whether it be money or power over someone. All Milah had done was implant an urgency to tell him before Milah got bored and twisted it in some way that would torture Rumald.

Turning the corner of the library, Belle walked at a steady pace across the small parking lot to her car, retrieving her car keys from her handbag as she walked. Her car lights flashed twice after she pressed the button to unlock it and opened her car door to climb inside. She shuddered closing her car door and hurried to get the car started, so it could start pumping heat into the interior of the car. She cursed under her breath, trying to figure out how it could be twice as cold in her car, as the car roared to life and settled into a steady rhythm. Discarding her handbag to the passenger seat, Belle twisted and pressed different settings on the heater.

She sat and waited for the windscreen to clear, listening to the low Christmas music her radio was playing into the car. The happy jingle did nothing to lighten Belle's mood as she went over the best way to tell him. As much as he would probably appreciate her being up front with him and telling him straight. Belle did not feel brave enough for that approach. Knowing how he could react at times, she felt the best way would be to slowly approach the subject with him. Lead him up to the point, so she could gauge his reaction.

Belle lowered her gaze to look at her hand, splayed out over her stomach. "Got any tips?"

"No, I didn't think so." She said after her question went unanswered.

Rubbing her hand in a circle motion over her stomach, Belle said. "Think I'm overreacting? Maybe I'm over thinking it?"

"Yeah, I know. My worse trait." She chuckled and smiled softly at her hand.

Looking up and seeing the windscreen was mostly cleared, Belle removed her hand from her stomach and put the car into drive. She pulled out of the library's parking lot and headed home. Her gaze was caught a few times by the different displays of Christmas lights on people's homes. A ghostly reminder of times when she was younger and there was some normality to her Christmas's spent with her mother.

As she entered their road, Belle let her gaze wander over the neighbouring houses and admired their decorations that people had hung and decorated the front of their houses with. Unlike everyone else, she noted pulling into Rumald's empty space on the driveway, their house was sparse of any decorations. It looked as though the Gold household were not celebrating Christmas. Belle moved the gear lever into park and sat back admiring their bare house. It had been a long time since she had decorated a house in preparation of Christmas. A lot of the times their decorations had been lost or left when they moved, her father had no money or as it had happened the once, a bailiff had taken their Christmas tree and decorations to pay her father's debts. Merry Christmas, she thought to herself.

Grunting disapprovingly at the memory, Belle picked up her handbag and exited the car. She turned up the collar of her coat and blipped the car locked, whilst she ambled across the small strip of grass that separated the driveway and the front path and walked the rest of the way up the path, with her gaze drifting momentarily to Albert's car. With him only gone for three days, she found she already missed his usual morning grunts, his sarcastic comments to his father and their evenings spent watching television or Netflix together, waiting for Rumald's return. The texts she had received were not sufficient enough to fill the empty void of him not being at home.

The sight of the front door enticed Belle to quicken her step and climbed the steps in record time, timing it perfectly to slip her key into the front door lock, unlocking it in one motion to allow her into the house without stopping. The warmth of the house welcomed her warmly, fending off the cold that threatened to enter behind her.

"God, it's cold." She mumbled to herself closing the front door and tossed her handbag to the discarded shoes sat below the hanging coats. The house was in darkness as she looked around, shrugging off her coat to hang on a peg. Flicking off her shoes, Belle's attention was focused in the direction of the kitchen, mulling over what to cook for dinner.

Entering the kitchen, Belle flicked on the kitchen light and flooded the room, blinding herself for a second as she crossed to the fridge. It was as she opened the fridge door and leant in for some inspiration that the front door opened. She twisted her head to see Rumald entered the house and smiled at the sight of him. His hand was holding his phone to his ear, listening intently, while Dove followed him into the house and closed the door behind his employer.

"Cora, I'm sure your daughter has the best intentions, but we both know," He said unbuttoning his overcoat. "Regina has a tendency to let her emotions get in the way. This is business."

Belle closed the fridge door and took position up next to the kitchen island, resting her hands down on the edge of it, while she observed Rumald shrug off his overcoat helped by Dove, saying. "With what I have proposed, we are all going to make money out of this and you'll get your little tourist accommodation."

"Cora, we've done plenty of business in the past and we have mutually made good money out of it." He said entering the kitchen. "Why would I want to ruin a mutual beneficial relationship?"

Rumald rolled his eyes at whatever was being said and lent into Belle to kiss her temple. She smiled and inclined her face to his touch, silently thankful for his affection. Wandering by her and out of sight, Belle twisted her head hearing the fridge door open and watched Rumald reach inside of it as he spoke.

"Yes, yes, Cora. Sorry, but I'm in no need of that kind of relationship." Rumald pulled his arm out of the fridge with his fingers hooked around the necks of two beer bottles. "Getting back to the reason I called. If you get Regina to accept the conditions and allow the planning permission to go through on the new site for my client, I'll make sure your planning permission goes through on your site."

Belle frowned listening to Rumald, whilst he strolled over to where Dove was lurking between the entrance hall and the kitchen. He handed one of the beer bottles to Dove and gestured for Dove to take a seat at breakfast table.

Slowly the corner of Rumald's lips gradually crooked up into smile before he said. "I'm glad we could come to an arrangement, Cora." He paused listening and then said. "Yes, of course, I will tell Gladius." Another pause. "The dance? Oh, well… I'll probably be busy as usual, but if I do attend I'll already have a date, sorry." Rumald's gaze drifted in her direction. "Yes, it's not a rumour. I'm engaged." He chuckled and joined Dove at the breakfast table saying. "Sadly, my dear, I've got to go. You know, busy man. Yes, okay. Bye."

Rumald tossed his phone onto the breakfast table and twisted the lid off his beer with an exasperated sigh. "God, can that woman talk!"

"Mrs Mills does know how to talk." Dove agreed and sipped at his beer.

"Right, you know what you've got to do?" Rumald questioned Dove as he unbuttoned his suit jacket.

Dove nodded his head before he spoke. "Take the papers immediately round to Mayor Mills residence and witness the signature. Then visit Mr Hyde and receive payment from him."

"Good." Rumald placed his beer down onto the table and shrugged his suit jacket from his shoulders. "By this time tomorrow, everyone will be happy and Gladius and me will be better off." He said hanging his suit jacket over the back of a chair at the breakfast table.

"Got it all sorted then?" Belle asked, causing both men to snapped their attention in her direction.

Rumald smiled. "As long as our delightful Mayor Mills does as her mother says, then yes."

"And Hyde will stay away?" She inquired pointing her gaze directly at Rumald.

His expression softened before Rumald made his way over to her and cupped her face between his hands. "He won't bother us anymore."

Belle looked deep into his dark brown eyes. His reassurance was evident in his eyes, beaming with the crooked smile he showed her whilst still cupping her face lovingly in his hands. Her eyes squeezed shut as her guilt for deceiving him crept the surface. She was sure he would see the truth in her eyes before she was ready to tell him.

"Oh, come here." Rumald cooed snaking his arms around her to draw her against him. "I didn't realise he'd scared you that much. I wouldn't let him hurt you, Belle. Never."

Her own arms wrapped around him, clutching him, selfishly needing his strength for later. Burying her face into his shoulder, Belle breathed in his smell, hungry for a sign everything would be alright once she told him.

"Are you requiring my presence any longer, Mr Gold?" Dove asked disturbing their moment together.

Rumald pulled back from her, revealing her face, whilst he gestured with his hand. "No, Dove. Thank you. Call me as soon as it is done."

"Yes, sir." Dove nodded his head in acknowledgement and left his beer on the breakfast table, and turned his back to them and escaped through the front door. Dove was not even through the front door, when Rumald leant into her and captured her lips, kissing her soundly.

"Right." He beamed. "What do you fancy for dinner, sweetheart?"

"I was just having a look when you came in, but I don't know." She told him.

"How about," Rumald collected her hands together into his and smiled. "We go and get takeout from Grannies and then we can watch whatever crap you want to watch?"

"It's not crap." She defended, even though she smiled at the idea.

Rumald's smile widened at the sight of her smile. "Well, grab your coat and you can explain to me in the car, why it isn't crap then, can't you?"

"Fine." Belle muttered, still smiling. Nodding his head in the direction of the hall, Rumald let go of one of her hands and led her from the kitchen with the other.

She stroked her thumb over the back of his hand as she followed him to the entrance hall. A voice told her to tell him, pull him to one side and tell him now. But no matter how much she wanted to listen to it, wanted to tell him, the other voice seemed to be winning the argument. The cowardly reason of 'why should I upset him, when he's so happy?', kept ringing in her ears. She did not want to upset him and especially, she did not want to admit to him that she had inadvertently lied to him. Bringing herself down to the same level as everyone had in his life.

'No!' She told herself mentally. 'I can't go on like this.'

"Rumald," Belle stopped abruptly, causing Rumald to stumble mid step. "We need to talk."

"What?" He questioned half turning to face her.

Belle closed her eyes and then opened them again to say. "I need to tell you something."

"Okay…" Rumald muttered unsurely, slowly turning to face her.

Gesturing with her hand towards the breakfast table, Belle asked. "Can we sit down?"

"I suppose." He answered with his scarred eyebrow quirking at her question. She drew her lips into a thin line and led him to the table with their joined hands. Rumald followed unquestioning her intention, but his eyes were full of question as they met before Belle pulled out the chair that Rumald's suit jacket hung over the back of. Smoothly Rumald sat down into the chair, which Dove had vacated, his eyes never leaving Belle.

Nervously, Belle swallowed and rubbed her thumb over the back of Rumald's hand, holding it over her thigh. Seeing her unusual behaviour, Rumald leant forward and leaned partially onto the table with his elbow, whilst he brought himself closer to Belle and squeezed her fingers inside of his hand.

"Belle, is everything okay?" He asked worried.

She breathed in deeply and said. "Everything's okay." She smiled to reassure him. "I just need to tell you about something that happened in New York."

"In New York?" Rumald questioned, his body jolted, straightening his back.

"Yes." Belle could feel herself wavering, but pushed on regardless of how she felt. "I should've told you as soon as you met me in the coffee shop, but you have to understand, Rumald, I didn't want anything ruining our weekend."

His brow scrunched together as he pondered over what Belle had meant, saying. "Nothing would have ruined our weekend, sweetheart."

Her insides twisted at his words. She wanted to believe his words were true, even though she had a good idea how he would have reacted to the news of his father. Just hearing the tone of his voice, when he had shared the story of how his father had given him the scar on his lip, had been enough to understand that the two would never reconcile. Too much bad blood had passed between them. Another reason, Rumald did not encourage Albert to have a relationship with his Grandfather and, thankfully, neither Rumald's father or Albert seemed to be bothered to have one with one another.

"Belle," His voice pulled her from her thoughts. "you're worrying me."

"Sorry." A small smile tugged at her lips.

Rumald eased himself forward towards her, his brow creased with the tension of his apprehension. "What happened in New York?"

She tightened her hold on his hand, partly because she needed his strength but also because she was frightened of angering him. "Before you met me for lunch in the coffee shop, your father was there."

"What?" He questioned, scowling at her.

"I didn't realise it was him until he was talking to me." She explained pivoting on her chair to face him and cradled his hand between her hands.

"My father?" Rumald spat the question at her. "Spoke to you?"

"Yes." Belle replied quickly.

Her chair scraped on the hardwood floor with the force Rumald snatched Belle towards him, clenching her wrist in a death grip. "What did he want?!"

The pain in her wrist was distracting her from thinking straight. Her eyes were fixed on her hand he held, watching the skin around where he gripped turn white under the strain. He jerked her wrist when she had not answered him, sending a jolt of pain down her arm.

It took Belle a second to realise Rumald was in her face, almost shouting at her. "TELL ME!"

"He didn't really want anything!" She cried, feebly reaching to grab at his hand, trying to free herself from his grip. "Rumald, you're hurting me!"

Her words must have struck a nerve, because before she knew what happened, Rumald had released her hand and had jumped up with such force, he had knocked over the chair he had been sat on. Belle clutched at her wrist, nursing it against her chest, as she dared to spy up at Rumald. His face was contorted into a horrific look, whilst he stared at his hand that had held hers. He slowly closed his eyes, pursing his lips into a tight line, and clenched his hand into a fist.

Slowly, Belle stood up from her chair and took a cautious step over to him. Her eyes were caught by the whiteness of his knuckles, the intensity of his anger showed. She kept her left arm close to her chest, while she reached out to him and carefully touched the upper arm of the hand he had clenched into fist.

"Rumald," Her voice was barely a whisper. "It's okay."

He did not move. Did not acknowledge he heard her. Just stood, fist clenched.

"Rumald, I'm sorry, I should have told you." She pleaded, daring to move closer to his side.

"Stupid girl." He muttered.

Belle's eyes went wide at his words. "Stupid girl?!"

"He could have hurt you!" Rumald's voice boomed through the house, scaring Belle into taking a step away from him, narrowly missing Rumald swiping his arm at the table. The half-drunk beer bottle of Dove's flew across the room and came close to hitting the glass in the bay window that looked out over the driveway. Thankfully, it had struck the solid wood frame of the window and smashed the bottle. The undrunk beer washed down the glass and frame, and pooled around the ornaments and broken glass on the window ledge.

"Do you not understand!" He shouted turning to face her and pointed his finger accusingly at her. "He's dangerous! He would do anything to punish me!"

"He wasn't going to do anything to me in the middle of a coffee shop!" Belle threw back at him, angered by him calling her stupid.

Stepping towards her with his finger still pointing at her, Rumald's lips were twisted in such a way, it showed his gold tooth to her as he said. "You don't know him!"

"And you're doing exactly, what he wanted you to do!" She told him, remaining in place. "Look at you! He's not even here and he's gotten to you!"

"Don't toy with me!" Rumald growled at her.

Shaking her head at him, Belle rubbed at her left wrist, twinging at the pain, saying more calmly to him. "I'm not." She paused to sigh. "Wish I hadn't said anything now."

"Argh!" Rumald erupted again and kicked at the chair Belle had been sat in, sending it sliding across the floor to tumble over, sprawling his suit jacket onto the floor.

"What!" She cried at him, staring at the innocent chair on its side.

"That's why Mike was following me around!" He feed his fingers into his hair and clutched at it, tugging it. "Why was I so stupid!" He muttered turning his back to her. "What is wrong with me! I never used to be this weak!"

Belle rolled her eyes at him. "There's nothing wrong with you."

Rumald kicked the chair he had kicked over earlier and groaned loudly before he said. "I knew something was wrong! I fucking knew it!" He whipped round on the spot and pointed his finger at her again. "I knew there was something wrong with you. But, I thought, nope I'm just being oversensitive. She's somewhere new. That's all it was. I'm so fucking stupid!" His voice rose as he spoke and when he had finished, kicked the chair again, kicking it against the wall.

"Stop it!" She ordered him.

"Why!" He roared, gesturing wildly with his hands. "Why should I!"

"Because kicking that chair is not going to make you feel better!" She told him, waving her hand in the direction of the innocent chair.

A sickly grin spread his lips wide. "And who, dearie, would you suggest I take it out on? Sadly, my father isn't here!"

"Yes, sadly, he isn't." Belle bravely moved towards him, hugging her hand to her bosom. "Otherwise, yes, you could have it out with him. But right now, kicking and throwing things around the house is not going to change that. You're just letting him get under your skin and win."

"You don't understand." Rumald seethed turning his gaze away from her.

"Look," She stopped less than a foot away from him and laid her hand on his chest, resting it over where his heart was. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. But letting yourself getting worked up like this…" Gradually Rumald turned his head and let their gazes meet. "Is letting him get the better of you, just like it does when you used to get wound up with Milah."

He breathed steadily, slowly letting out a calming breath. "You're right." He huffed and then eyed Belle. "Anything else, you should have told me?"

Belle gulped at his question and shied away from his gaze.

"Belle…?"

She slowly brought her eyes up to meet his own.

"What?" Rumald inquired, titling his head slightly to the side. Drawing in her lower lip, Belle dug her teeth into the indented part of her lip and held his gaze. He squinted his eyes at her, questioning her.

Knowing he would not let it go until he knew everything and her conscious could not take hiding the truth from him any further, Belle shared with him. "Milah tried to blackmail me."

"What!" His voice raised again, his head jerked back with his shoulders tensing.

"Seems your father" Rumald's eyebrows knitted together at the mention of his father again. "and Milah still have contact with one another. She knows about me meeting your father."

"Oh…!" Rumald backed up a step away from her, raising his hand up with his finger pointing up towards the ceiling. "Is… that why you've told me?"

"No, Rumald, I was going to" He cut her off by waving his hand in front of her. "But you told me before she could. I understand." He said sounding distracted, his mind thinking of other things as his gaze wandered elsewhere in the room.

Belle reached out to him with her good hand. "I was going to tell you anyway!"

"Yes, yes, of course you were." He said dismissively taking a step back from her to avoid her hand.

She titled her head slightly, perplexed by him avoiding her touch as she said. "Yes, I was."

Rumald shook his head negatively at her. "I would have thought you would have told me as soon as it happened." He turned his attention back to her and glared at her. "I never expected you to ever lie to me. Milah, yes. You… Never."

"I wasn't trying to deceive you!" Belle pleaded and took a step to close the space between them. "I swear, I was thinking of you!"

"No," He stepped forward, closing the gap further with his finger pointing into her face. "You were thinking of yourself. No one ever thinks about me."

"How can you say that to me?" Belle could not help herself, poked her finger into his chest.

"It's the truth!" Rumald proclaimed. "People only want me, when I can do something for them. Not because they want me."

Shaking her head at him, Belle squeezed her eyes shut at the lie Rumald believed and opened her eyes to say. "I always put you and Bae before me!" She poked his chest. "I chose to be with you." Another poke to his chest. "I chose you over my own father!" Another stab of her finger into the same spot of his chest. "Do not tell me, I don't want you!"

By the time, she had finished probing her finger into his chest and reminded him how she chose him, tears were pouring profusely down her cheeks. Blinking her eyes only caused more tears to stream down her cheeks, trailing hot paths over her cheeks. Belle sucked in her lower lip and bit into her lip, while she raised her hand up to face and wiped vigorously at the tears welling in her eyes and the wet paths down her cheeks.

"Don't you dare!" She threatened, wiping at her cheeks with both her hands.

Rumald's shoulders dropped. "Oh, Belle… Don't cry." Gently he coaxed her towards him by taking hold of her elbows and gathered her up into his arms, holding her close to his chest. "Please don't cry. I can't stand to see you cry."

"I may have lied," Belle mumbled into his chest, clutching a handful of his waistcoat in her hand. "But I was thinking of you."

"Okay, I believe you." He said stroking his hand down the back of her head.

"I'm serious." She leant back in his arms to look him in the eye. "You had been so preoccupied by Hyde and all the other things that's been going on. It was the first time in a while, it had been the two of us and we were happy. You were happy." Pausing, she titled her head. "Why would I want to ruin it?"

His chest expanded with the deep breath he took in, while he mulled over her reasoning. A few seconds went back until Rumald cradled the back of her head and directed her to rest her head back against his chest. She clutched her eyes shut as Rumald stoked her hair and rested his cheek against her head, grateful that she was in his arms and not shunned.


	97. Chapter 97

The trolley squeaked as Belle pushed it down an aisle of the school's library. Her eyes roamed the indexes on the shelves, eyeing up the locations of the books she was shelving. The mundane task was a nice distraction from her thoughts. Her overthinking nature was dissecting through their argument and their brief talk afterwards from the night before. She kept going through it, picking at things Rumald and she had said to one another. But her thoughts kept circling around one thing Rumald had said to her: no one wanted him. It stung to know he thought that. Believing people only wanted him, when he could do something for them. She knew from all the stories, he and Gladius had told her, that his self-esteem was lacking in certain areas, but she had never thought he would believe such a thing.

It was hard at times for Belle to remember the things that Rumald had gone through. He wore his mask so well and kept his demons in line these days, she forgot how much pain he carried round in his heart. How he was able to carry himself in such a way that no one knew, astounded her. Only those he allowed past the armour of his three-piece suit were able to see, at times, the pain he carried.

The school bell rung signalling lunchtime. She stopped creaking the trolley to a halt and glanced round, listening to the silent roar of students running free from classrooms. The corners of her lips twisted into a smile. Gripping the handle of the trolley slightly tighter, Belle pushed the trolley on a couple of more sections and stopped again to reach for a book on the trolley. She checked the index number on the spine of the book with the index on the shelve and then slid the book into its space on the shelf. Her eye ran the line of the shelf and spied a book out of sequence, which she quickly slid off the shelve and slid it into its correct place. Again, her eyes wandered over the shelves above and below, checking they were all in order before she pushed the trolley on down the aisle.

Picking another book off the trolley, Belle shelved another book back into its place and carried on down the aisle. She could not help herself, as she turned the corner at the bottom of the aisle, with her thoughts returning to Rumald. Wondering whether his mind worked the same as her own and was going over what was said last night. She was sure he would be. Detail was an intricate part of his work. An eye for the finer points. Belle selected another book from the trolley and slid it into its location on the shelve, pursing her lips at the image of him pondering in the back of his shop.

"Belle?" Jess's voice called for her.

"Yeah?" Belle called back, her hand lingered on the shelve as she partially twisted her body in the direction of her voice.

Jess appeared at the other end of the aisle, holding something up in her hand. "You want any lunch?"

Smiling at the question, Belle let her hand slip from the shelve and said. "What're you thinking? Cafeteria?"

"Oh, god, no." Jess chuckled walking into the aisle. "I was considering running into town and grabbing a bite from Grannies."

"Hmm…" Belle salivated at the thought of a cheeseburger and pickles from Grannies.

"Interested?" Jess probed and waited for a reply, her smirk though showed she already knew Belle's answer.

Belle smiled. "Cheeseburger and extra pickles, please."

"Milkshake?" Jess questioned, waving her hand clutching her purse through the air between them.

"Strawberry." Belle answered with her eyes widening at the thought. Nodding her acknowledgement, Jess broadly smiled and spun on her heels to head back down the aisle. Her other hand joined her hand on the handle of the trolley, whilst she watched Jess walk away.

A sudden thought came to mind, when Jess was turning the corner at the end of the aisle. "Jess!"

"Yeah?" Jess hollered back, darting back to see her down the aisle.

"Tell Grannie it's for me and she'll take care of you." Belle called and smiled, remembering her time spent working at Grannies.

"Okay." Jess gave Belle the thumbs up and disappeared from sight. Chuckling at the sight of Jess, Belle picked up a book from the trolley and checked the next index number. Seeing it was further down the aisle, Belle pushed the trolley along whilst she quickly read over the blurb on the back of the book. She raised her eyebrows at the blurb and flipped the book over to read the title as she stopped at the shelve it belonged. She frowned at the title and shoved it onto the shelf, disappointed as to what passed as literature these days.

There was a loud bang and a clatter. Alarmed Belle quickly left the trolley and raced to the end of the aisle. Her hand grabbed the end of the shelving and used it to swing herself around the corner. Her shoes slid on the titled floor, skidding to a halt, as she came face to face with Mary-Margaret.

"Belle!" Mary-Margaret cried happily.

"Mary-Margaret!" She cried back, barely managing to stop herself from bumping into Mary-Margaret.

Mary-Margaret grabbed Belle by her upper arms, knocking her slightly off balance, whilst she said. "How was New York?"

Belle grinned and chuckled. "It was fantastic!"

"Tell me, tell me!" Mary-Margaret gently shook Belle by her arms, giddily bouncing from one foot to the other. "What did you guys do?"

"Well…" She dawdled thinking where to start her story. "Rumald just made it such a special weekend." Mary-Margaret gushed and squeaked her excitement. "We went to this fancy restaurant, which cost like a third of my pay for the month."

"Oh god, David and I could never think of spending that sort of money just on dinner. It's a struggle to get through each month with my money from here and his from the animal shelter." Mary-Margaret shook her head in disbelief.

For some reason, Belle felt a wave of embarrassment flush through her, hearing about her friend's struggle. She had never heard Mary-Margaret complain about money, or even complain in general, apart from the odd gripe story she had about Emma being a teenager. Mary-Margaret was always willing to pay for their rounds or food on girl's night. Never shying away from collecting the tab for all of them.

Belle reached up and clasped at Mary-Margaret's elbow. "Why haven't you said?"

"It's nothing for you guys to worry about." Mary-Margaret smiled, but it did not quite reach her eyes.

"Yes, but you could've talk to me about it." Belle urged. "I know how difficult it can be at times. Sometimes it eases it to talk about it."

A scowl swept over Mary-Margaret's face for a second, a brief second, before she forced a smile, but Belle saw it. It was similar to look people gave her, when they found out she was with Rumald. The disgust of being with a man, they thought was the Devil incarnate. However, Mary-Margaret had never given her that look before. Had never showed any disgust, surprise, but never disgust about her relationship with Rumald.

Mary-Margaret stepped back from Belle slightly, causing Belle's hand to fall loose from Mary-Margaret's elbow, saying. "Thanks." She paused and glanced around, and down at her watch. "I better get back to the office."

"Mary-Margaret, I didn't mean anything by it." Belle reached out to Mary-Margaret, wanting to offer her friend some reassurance.

"I know…" Mary-Margaret half-turned to leave, but halted and turned back to Belle. "I… It just a little hard to hear it from you, Belle, seeing how you never have to worry again."

"But… I…" Belle stuttered, knocked back by Mary-Margaret words. As Belle sprung some words together, the door to the library opened once again and some students came into the library. They chatted and laughed amongst themselves, barely aware of Mary-Margaret and Belle, and took one of the study tables furthest away from them.

Mary-Margaret glanced over to where the students were unpacking their bags and looked back to Belle to say. "It's okay. It's nothing to be ashamed of and I'm sorry I brought it up. Look," Mary-Margaret shrugged her shoulders. "I've got to go. We'll talk more later."

"Mary-Margaret." Belle called, while Mary-Margaret turned her back to Belle and left the library, pausing to glance back at Belle at the door. She pulled a half-hearted smile at Belle and left the library, whilst some more students entered the library.

Scrunching her brow, Belle stood with her eyes glued to the door of the library, dwelling over her conversation with Mary-Margaret. She could not get her head around the idea that people, especially Mary-Margaret, thought that she now had it made for the rest of her life. The idea of relying on Rumald and his wealth was still something she had to get her own head around, seeing as she could have spent his money on anything in New York and bought a cup of tea, a cake and a book. An exasperated sigh escaped from Belle as she wandered over to the circulation desk and sat down on the stool behind the desk.

"Belle!" Came a shout after the library door banged open.

Startled Belle snapped her gaze over to the door to see Jess return, a bag from Grannies in one hand and a drinks carrier in the other as she raced over to the circulation desk. Her face was full of glee, her eyes shining.

"You won't believe what's going on in town!" Jess proclaimed setting the takeout bag onto the desk.

"What's going on?" Belle asked feeling disheartened.

Jess grinned and leaned down onto her desk with her elbows. "Mr Gold's ex-wife, Milah, was in Grannies begging her for a room for her and baby."

"What?" Belle questioned, surprised.

"I don't know," She said shrugging her shoulders. "She was kicking up a storm in the B&B part of Grannies. But Ruby said it had been going on for about an hour."

"Milah needs a room?" Belle pondered her own question, raising an eyebrow at Milah's situation.

Picking up the take-out bag from the desk, Jess opened it up and delved inside of it to start hand out their food as she said. "Yeah. Shouting and screaming. It was so funny. That woman deserves everything she gets."

"Yeah, she does." Belle muttered taking the drink Jess offered towards her.

"I wonder, if she and Killian have broken up? Or…" Jess began to hypothesis, while she unwrapped her burger. "Maybe, she's redecorating? Or…"

Holding her hand up, Belle stopped any further notions that Jess concocted. "Whatever the reason is, I'm sure I'll find out later."

"And whatever it is, has got Milah so angry I wouldn't want to be one to have caused whatever it was." Jess commented and took a bite from her burger. With her eyebrows slightly raised, Belle observed Jess over the counter whilst she unwrapped her own burger. Drawing down her brow over her eyes, Belle absentmindedly took a bite from her burger and pondered over what could have happened to Milah.


	98. Chapter 98

Combing her fingers through her damp hair, Belle trudged her way down the stairs barefooted, her silk dressing gown parted slightly with each step she took, listening to the music Rumald was playing downstairs. She had been in the shower washing away stress of the day, when she had heard the front door shut signalling Rumald had arrived home and had smelt he was cooking after coming out of their bedroom to come downstairs.

Her hand ghosted down the banister as she took the last few steps of the stairs to reach the entrance hall. Looking through into the kitchen, she saw Rumald stood with his back to her, tending to the pans he had on the stove. She smiled at the sight of him and shouldered her weight up against the divide, between the entrance hall and kitchen, observing him as he moved effortlessly around the kitchen. His head gently bobbed to the music, not a care in world apart from his cooking. She loved seeing him like that. Catching him unaware, while he concentrated solely on whatever he was doing. Belle especially enjoyed finding him in his study late at night. The only light would be washing down over his desk from his desk lamp, highlighting the features of his face, softening him. She would wait, even for hours if she had to, for him to notice her. Probably a feeling of he was being watched would make him look up and he would crook a smile for her. Only for her.

"That's how the story goes…" He quietly sang to himself, bringing her out of her thoughts. Breathing in contently, she pushed herself away from the divide and padded into the kitchen, feeding her hands into the shallow pockets of her silk dressing gown.

"Something smells nice." Belle stated nearing the kitchen island.

He twisted his head to see her over his shoulder and smiled shyly at her, and turned his attention back to the pans saying. "Nothing special. Just pasta."

"I'm sure it's going to be wonderful." She told him coming up behind him and slid her arms underneath his, wrapping them around his stomach to lull her head against his upper back. Even through his waistcoat and shirt, Belle feel his warmth, comforting and reassuring.

"How was your day?" He asked laying a hand on top of her arms, caressing his fingers over her skin.

"Just the usual." Belle commented spying up and over his shoulder on tiptoes to see the stove. "Filing paperwork, shelving books and helping the kids. You?"

His shoulders bobbed up and down. "Not much."

Withdrawing her arms from around him, her touch lingered, tracing over the silk backing of his waistcoat as she walked by him to the kettle. She could feel his eyes on her. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked. Belle smiled liking how her body reacted to him and picked up the kettle to fill at the kitchen sink.

"Belle." He called. Holding the kettle under the facet, she twisted enough to see him, whilst keeping an eye on the water level in the kettle.

"We're okay, aren't we?" Rumald asked stirring one of the pans on the stove. "I know we've got to talk, but we're okay?"

"Course, we are." She beamed a smile for him and waited for him to return it. One side of his lips pulled back, revealing his crooked half smile, and then the other side pushed his other cheek back, revealing the small dimples in his cheeks. Momentarily, he turned his head to look at the pans, but chanced a look over his shoulder again, his smile still spreading his lips. Belle shook her head at the sight of him and twisted the tap on the facet, cutting off the water.

"Tea?" She asked placing the kettle back onto its stand.

Rumald half cocked an eyebrow in thought before he replied to her question. "No, I think I'm going to have a beer."

"Well…" Belle sauntered by behind him, unable to help herself from touching him as she went by him to the fridge. "Let me get that for you, Mr Gold."

She barely took a step away from him, when he whipped round and captured her in his arms. Giggling, Belle steady herself by clutching at his shoulders, loving the sultry look on his face, as he backed her into the kitchen island. The edge of the kitchen island pressed into her lower back and pinned her against Rumald's body.

"We could always skip dinner for desert." He purred dipping his head to place feathery kisses down her neck, halted by going any further by her silk dressing gown.

She chuckled at him, running her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. "Rumald, I'm really hungry."

His finger hooked the edge of her dressing gown and pulled it to one side, revealing more of her collarbone to him, as he said. "If you're that – hungry, we could have desert right here."

"No!" Belle laughed patting him on his shoulder. "I really want to eat dinner!"

"And I really want to eat…" Rumald was interrupted from his rude comment by the front door clattering open and shut again. The sound of the front door opening was nearly concealed by the loud wretched yell of Rumald's name as whoever it was entered the house. Rumald snapped his head up from his assault of kisses to her collarbone and glared in the direction of the entrance hall. His hands gripped the back of her dressing gown tightly, keeping her securely in place.

Frowning, Belle twisted in Rumald's arms to look to the entrance hall, watching expectantly for whoever the intruder was to reveal themselves in the doorway to the kitchen. Rumald's hands eased and slipped down her sides to her hips, and remained with their body pressed to one another.

A yell of "RUMALD!" filtered around the house.

Suddenly Rumald moved away, leaving her bereaved of his warmth and contact. He purposefully sauntered to the end of the kitchen island and spied through into the entrance hall. Belle flicked her gaze between Rumald and the doorway, observing him as he headed by the kitchen island in time to be greeted by the sight of their intruder coming through into the kitchen.

"Rumald!" Milah yelled again. "What the fuck!"

"What the fuck, what?" He questioned standing at the end of the counter that separated the kitchen from the breakfast table area.

"Don't you play stupid with me!" She wagged her finger through the air at him and marched from the entrance hall into the kitchen, stopping a couple of feet away from him.

"Milah," Rumald shifted his stance and clasped his hands in front of himself, even from the Belle could see him, she could see the smirk on his face. "You've burst into – my – home. I think I reserve the right to play stupid."

Milah twisted and yanked a piece of paper out of the back pocket of her jeans, and thrusted it into Rumald's face, saying. "You can't play stupid! You evicted me from my home!"

Belle's eyes bulged at the news as the piece of paper was flicked into Rumald's face. The folded piece of paper fluttered to the floor. Belle glanced at the piece of paper and then back up to Milah and Rumald, who were stood staring at each other. Milah's fury was evident in her face, glaring at Rumald with no fear. She looked ready to pounce on Rumald and let all her anger out on him, whilst Rumald remained indifferent to the look Milah was giving him.

"Oh, that." He said pivoting round to waltz away from her, smirking, to come back to the stove.

Shell-shocked, Milah was left stood in the middle of the kitchen, her mouth wide as she stared at the back of Rumald. He picked up the wooden spoon from where he had discarded it and dipped it into one of the saucepans to stir the contents. Belle could not take her eyes off Milah, watching as Milah's eyebrows slowly knitted together and stood staring daggers into Rumald's back. She swore Milah was at the point of breaking, whether it be down into tears or to the point of killing Rumald. There was no way to read which way Milah would go.

Belle fleetingly looked between them, unsure whether she needed to get between them. From what Jess had said, Milah had been pretty angry at lunchtime and Belle could see from the look on Milah's face, she had not calmed. She did not know the details of how Rumald had done it. She was not aware that he was even her landlord, although it should not have surprised her. Seeing as the majority of the town was owned between Rumald and Gladius.

Her thoughts on the subject were interrupted by Milah shoving the bowl of fruit and other items off the kitchen island onto the floor. The bowl shattered on the wooden floor and the fruit landed with several thuds, sending some of the apples and oranges rolling off in different directions. A glass joined the bowl on the floor, shattering into pieces, whilst Milah raced around the island to confront Rumald, shoving him forcefully round to face her.

"How could you evict me!" Milah boomed shoving her hand into Rumald's chest. "You're not even my landlord!"

"I'm not your landlord. I own the property you once occupied." He informed her, deflecting her hand away from him.

"You had me removed from my home!" Milah shouted at him as she brought her fist down to hit Rumald's chest.

Rumald caught her hand by her wrist and asked coldly. "And?"

"And!" She shrieked causing Belle to jump. "It's three weeks to Christmas, for god's sake!"

"Oh! Sorry, have I ruined your Christmas?" Rumald's voice was thick with annoyance.

"I am not spending Christmas in a motel!" Milah declared.

Rumald grinned. "Is it a motel I own?"

"You can't do this!" Milah asserted pointing her finger at him.

"Evidently… I can… and I have." He leaned into her, bringing their faces to an intimate distance but there was nothing intimate in their faces. No one could mistake the distaste the two shared for another.

"Wait till my mother hears what you've done to me." Milah warned. "This isn't over!"

Spinning round on her heel, Milah marched out of the kitchen, glaring across the kitchen island at Belle as she left. Belle followed Milah out of the room with her eyes and looked to Rumald, stood watching Milah leave, whilst the front door banged open and clattered shut with a bang, rattling the two doors in their frame. Rumald breathed in deeply leaning his weight down onto the edge of the island. His gaze was focused on the entrance hall until he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

The only thing Belle could think to say was "Why?"

Rumald raised his head and opened his eyes to look at Belle. The hatred that contorted his face a mere five seconds ago was gone. His expression neutral.

"Why what?" He questioned standing up straight.

"Why did you do it?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest.

Briefly he looked back in the direction of the entrance hall and then back to Belle to say. "Because the opportunity presented itself."

"Really?" Belle raised an eyebrow at him.

"Jefferson has been begging me to buy the property off him." He explained gesturing with his hand. "I've been saying no for months. When he brought it up today, it…" He grinned. "Seemed like a good idea."

"Today, it was a good idea? The day after I told you, she tried to blackmail me?" Her questions were full of accusations.

Rumald twisted his body and turned off the stove, his eyes pointing a look at Belle as he said. "I haven't done anything wrong. It's business."

"Yes, which put Milah and Killian, and their baby, on the streets." Belle said unfolding one of her arms to wave in the direction of the front of the house.

He shook his head with a disbelieving look on his face. "She would do the same to us, if she ever got the chance. Not a second thought given about her decision."

Belle gestured to Rumald. "So that gives you the right to do it, does it?"

"I don't have to listen to this." Rumald stated turning his back to her to walk away. The broken bowl and glass crunched under Rumald's feet. Disappointedly sighing, Belle watched him walk out of the kitchen.

Her arms fell from being folded over her chest as she took in the scene of their kitchen. She wondered whether this would have been the norm for them, when they had been married. Throwing things around the house, breaking things whilst they argued. Belle carefully moved to survey the mess on the other side of the island, minding her bare feet on the broken pieces that had slid across the floor. Her shoulders sagged seeing the mess.

Another night, another mess, she thought to herself.

Her head snapped in the direction of the front door. The front rattled harshly in its frame, threatening to shrug away the confines of its hinges. Belle closed her eyes and pressed the palm of her hand against her face. Breathing in deeply, she dropped her hand from her face and looked to the mess on the floor again.

Songs: Thirty Seconds to Mars - Do or Die


	99. Chapter 99

Staring through the blinds of Grannies, Belle cupped her mug of tea between her hands, admiring the view through the window from her favourite booth. Everyone in Grannies was merrily chatting and laughing. Most of them talked about their plans for Christmas or organising shopping trips as family and friends ate breakfast together. Belle raised her mug to her lips and sipped her hot tea. The happy atmosphere of Grannies was welcomed, compared to home.

She had cleaned up the mess in the kitchen the night he had walked out and had waited for him to return, hoping they would have been able to sit down and clear the air. Sat huddled in a blanket on the couch, Belle had watched the Grandfather's clock tick by the minutes and then the hours until she had been sat there until one o'clock in the morning. Reluctantly, she had taken herself to bed with a cup of tea and had read for an hour, thinking he would have been home soon, but had woken to her alarm with a startled. Her hand had instantly reached for him finding nothing apart from cold sheets. Heavily she had sighed through her nose, inspecting his pillow for the normal indent to show he had slept there. His unwrinkled pillow had confirmed it. Rumald had not come home.

Carefully she placed her mug back down onto the table and breathed through her nose. She had gone to find him the next day, seeking him out at his shop during her lunch hour to find he had stationed Dove in the shop. After leaving Dove in the shop, requesting he ask Rumald to call her, Belle had taken up position at one of the windows of the library and had staked out Rumald's shop from inside the library. People had come by his shop, pawning or buying, but no sign of Rumald or his Cadillac. She was not privy to his schedule and Dove was resistant to tell her, probably under strict orders from Rumald not to share his location.

Belle did not see him that day until she was drying up the dishes from her dinner for one and had seen headlights bounce and wash over Albert's car and the garage through the window in the kitchen. A second or two had gone by before the driveway had been plunged back into darkness. Expectantly she had looked towards the entrance hall, drying her hands on the tea towel, when she had heard the click of the front door and the quiet clatter of the front door opening. She had tossed the tea towel to the counter and had strode out from the kitchen, desperate, to see Rumald in the entrance hall removing his overcoat.

"Rumald." She had stated, breathing out her relief. With a short look in her direction, Rumald then had hung his coat and had straightened his waistcoat. He had still been wearing the same suit from the day before, minus is suit jacket.

"Are you hungry?" Belle had asked gesturing to the kitchen. "I can whip you something up."

"No." He had said making a start up the stairs. "I'm not staying."

Puzzled by his answer, she had walked into the entrance hall to see him transition to the next set of stairs. "You're coming home later, right?"

Rumald had stopped and had descended the two steps he had taken to get a better view of her. "Probably not."

His answer had stung her. "Rumald, we need to talk about this."

"You mean, you need to talk about it." He had said taking a step to the side on the small landing, bringing his body into view from behind the banister. "For me, there's nothing to discuss. I have done what needed to be done. I'm tired of her walking all over this family as though it doesn't matter. As though, it is nothing." Rumald had laid his hand on the banister, lining himself to launch up the next flight of stairs as he spoke. "No one gets to treat us like that anymore."

"Rumald!" She had called watching him leap up the stairs effortlessly. In no time, she had followed him up the stairs and had confronted him in their bedroom. He had been set on not talking. Whilst Belle had tried to reason with him, begging nearly, for him to sit down and talk to her, he had changed his clothes and had taken whatever he would need for a couple of days away from home. She had chased him down the stairs, had tugged at his arm, clawed at his clothes, only to be cut off by the front door closing in her face.

Belle picked up her mug and cautiously drank from it. She shook her head at missing Rumald as she put her mug down onto the table. It was not even as though she never saw him. She had seen him every day, hidden behind a protective wall he had built, going about his daily business. They had not shared a word since the night he had walked back out of the house.

No messages, no phone calls. Silence.

It was the longest they had gone without speaking. The house was empty without Rumald, a shell of a home, and she was already feeling lonely without him. It was the loneliest she had felt since her mother had died. Seeing him from the library, so close but so far away from her, was driving her further into the pit of self-loathing.

"You okay?" Grannie inquired. Blinking her thoughts away, Belle titled her head to see Grannie stood at the end of the table, her hands full of dirty plates and cups.

Belle nodded her head and forced a smile. "Just tired, Grannie. Not sleeping well."

Grannie smiled. "That'll be all the changes your body's going through, my dear. Nice hot, relaxing bath will fix that. Get rid of all your stress before bed." She nodded her head in direction of Rumald's shop. "You should get him to run one for you. Remember, you're going to be doing all the work now. His part is done."

"I'll try to remember that, Grannie. Thank you." She replied, appreciating Grannie was trying to help.

Grannie opened her mouth to say something else, when someone from the kitchen called Grannie away. Apologising, Grannie left Belle to hastily head to the kitchen. Belle returned to staring through the blinds. Any other time, she would have been glad to have a moment to chat with Grannie, but not today. There was only one person she really wanted to talk to and he was making it clear, he was not ready to talk to her.

Belle finished off the last of her tea like a shot of tequila and left her mug on the table with some dollar bills, and shifted to the end of the booth. On her way to the door, she collected her coat from the opposing seat of the booth and fed her arms into it, shrugging it onto her shoulders, in time to push open the door to Grannies.

Outside, it was its usual chilliness. She cursed the cold descending the steps of Grannies porch and buttoned up her coat, turning up the collar to protect her neck. Her gaze was on her sneakers as she wandered down the street from Grannies, heading to the general store to grab some milk and some other things in preparation of Albert's return that day. Rumald was collecting Albert and Gladius from the airport that morning, and it brightened her to think she would get to see him later, when she presumed he would drop Albert off at the house.

She thought about getting Rumald something. An olive branch to extend to him. There were not many guilty pleasures he allowed himself apart from his wine and whiskey collection. Thinking how particular his tastes were in wine and whiskey, Belle dismissed the thought, opting to get him another jar of his favourite coffee as he was low, hoping she could tempt him to stay for a while with a cup of coffee.

A couple were at the cash register paying for their goods as Belle entered the store. She ignored the looks and how the store fell silent, and picked up a basket from the stack just inside the door. Hooking her arm through the handles of the basket, Belle glanced round to the couple at the cash register, who quickly snapped their heads back to look at the cashier. It still annoyed her that people gave her the deer in headlights look whenever they saw her. She watched the couple and the cashier huddle closer, whilst she traipsed down the first aisle of the store. When they were out of sight, Belle shook her head from side to side and went on with her task, eyeing the selections on the shelves.

It did not take her long to find the things she wanted and exited the store with them clutched in her arms in a paper bag. She headed home and pondered over what she could cook for dinner. A smile spread her lips, knowing exactly what Albert would want for his dinner.

"Pizza." She muttered to herself as she walked alone.

Turning into their street, Belle decided that she and Albert would camp out in front of the television. Just like they used to do. They would eat pizza and as much ice cream as they could manage, whilst watching whatever was recommended on Netflix. It took her back to the times she would hang out with Albert, while Rumald was out on business or playing poker at the Hatters, or Albert would join her in her apartment above the library and fall asleep on her couch. Those memories felt like a lifetime ago, but were still so precious to her.

She held the bag tight against her chest and quicken her step up the path to the house, wanting to get back into the warmth. With the bag shifted to sit on her hip, Belle dug her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the front door, and shoved it open using her shoulder. A brief kick of her foot to the bottom of the door knocked it closed, while she headed into the kitchen to deposit the paper bag onto the counter. Heading by the kitchen island, Belle flicked on the kettle and began to unbutton her coat. She peeled it back from her shoulders and shook it down her arms, catching her coat just as it was about to drop to the floor, and clasped it by the collar to carry from the kitchen into the entrance hall. As she passed by the kitchen island, Belle took her phone out of her coat pocket and discarded it to the island.

Sliding the sleeves of her jumper up her forearms, Belle detoured into the living room and went straight to Rumald's sound system, turning it on without a care as to what it would play. She did not care what selection Rumald had loaded, she just wanted something, anything, to fill the silence until they got home.

A husky gravelly voice crooned through the speakers. "…Save your crying for another day, that may not come."

"God." Belle groaned and turned her back on the sound system, letting the song continue, and went back into the kitchen. The kettle was getting close to boiling. Still with time to kill, Belle picked up the paper bag and reached inside of it to pull out the cookies she had bought for Albert, and left them on the counter dividing the kitchen. She patted the packet of Albert's favourite cookies, grinning at how he would react when he saw them. With the image of the cookie monster in her mind, Belle sauntered around the kitchen and put the different items away in their homes.

The song changed while Belle was adding a teabag into her cup and poured the water over the teabag. She held the kettle in mid air over its stand, pausing to listen to the woman singing in the other room. Belle swore it was Kelly Clarkson, but the song was not familiar to her. Her head begun to bob in time to the music, enjoying the catchy beat, as she placed the kettle back onto its stand and picked up her cup from the counter. The tempo of the song changed as it went into the chorus and found herself swaying her hips in time to the music.

Leaving the kitchen to go through into the dining room, Belle approached the bookcase Rumald had made for her and selected the book she had been trying to read all week. She carried it through into the living room, dancing as she walked, and placed her cup of tea onto the end table by the arm of the couch. Belle flicked through the pages of her book, 'What to Expect When You're Expecting', as she kicked off her sneakers and crossed a leg underneath herself to sit down onto the couch.

Her fingers halted the pages. She looked in the direction of the entrance hall, sure she had heard a distant beep from somewhere. Thinking it might have been her phone, Belle tossed her book onto the seat beside her on the couch and got up from the couch, and headed back to the kitchen. She could not help the provocative rock of her hips, even as she stopped to collect her phone, her hips swayed to the beat. Giving into her need to dance, Belle let the rest of her body join her hips whilst she tapped a button on her phone to light the screen. She had received a text from Ruby, inquiring if Belle was doing anything that evening. She texted Ruby back as she wandered back into the living room, telling her she hoped to spend the evening with Albert.

Entering the living room, the song on the sound system changed to a slower beat song, another she had never heard. She shrugged her shoulders at it and settled down onto the couch again, folding her leg underneath herself while she exchanged her phone for her book. It was as she was flicking through the pages again of her book, she heard the front door opening.

"…Flew down this hill, dad, at like a hundred miles an hour!" Albert bragged coming into the house, wheeling his suitcase in behind him.

"I doubt it was a hundred miles an hour, Bae." Rumald told him carrying another bag into the house and closed the front door. Hearing his voice after so many days made her insides twist and a heat grow between her legs. A strong urge to run to him and wrap herself around him swamped her as she stood up from the couch. She probably would have let it take her, if she thought he would not push her away, so she ignored it and focused herself on Albert.

"Hey!" Belle greeted excitedly seeing Albert. He twisted to see her in the living room and smiled at her. Throwing her book to the couch, again, she rushed to greet him in the entrance hall, engulfing Albert into her arms.

"Did you have a good time?" She asked bouncing them from side to side.

Albert chuckled. "Great time." He said pulling back from her. "You oughta come next time."

"Maybe next year." Belle stroked her hand down the side of his face, gushing at the sight of him.

"Bae, take your stuff upstairs, please." Rumald instructed removing his overcoat.

Albert glanced round at his father and then back at Belle. They shared a look, but Albert did not question it. He shrugged his eyebrows at her and stepped back from her, and stooped to collect his bags to trudge up the stairs with them. Rumald ran a hand down the front of his plain light blue shirt, dressed casually in jeans, and walked by her to go into the kitchen. She watched him go, hating that he was behaving like that towards her. Her eyes drifted up and down his clothes, mentally noting she had never seen those clothes before.

Belle waited until Albert was out of sight and out of earshot before she trailed into the kitchen, following Rumald into the room. He was flicking through his mail she had been leaving on the counter for him. Biting her lip, she came to stop by the counter and laid her hands on top of one another on the counter. Rumald flicked his eyes up at her from the mail as he ripped open one of the envelopes. They stood there silent whilst he pulled out the letter from the envelope and opened it out to read it. His eyes scanned it, glancing at Belle from time to time.

As he read something at the bottom of the letter, he finally spoke. "You got everything you need?"

She ignored his question and asked one of her own. "I know you don't think we need to talk, but can we?"

"Depends. What subject would we be discussing?" He asked laying the letter onto the counter to pick up another envelope to open it.

"Don't play coy." Belle told him with her shoulders slumping under the strain of trying to talk to him.

"Well…" Rumald slid the letter out of the envelope and paused to read over it, and then laid it on top of the other letter and picked up another envelope saying. "I don't see there much to talk about. You disapprove and we all know," he said ripping open another letter. "Your moral compass is the only one to follow."

Belle's eyebrows clamped down over her eyes. "What?"

He dropped the letter down to the counter and hunched over the counter towards her to say. "The world is not rosy, Belle. Bygones, can't be bygones. If you show someone weakness, then they'll prey on it and you'll become nothing." Rumald stabbed his finger into the counter. "I will not let anyone do that to me again!"

"Hey, dad!" Albert called from the entrance hall, jolting the pair of them apart to watch him enter the kitchen. "Where're the Christmas decks?"

Rumald's face softened at Albert's innocent question. "Waiting for you to get them from the basement, just like every year."

"I thought you and Belle might have done them, while I was in Aspen." Albert shared with them, approaching the two of them.

"And break tradition?" Rumald picked up another letter and opened it, saying to Albert. "Why would I want to go and do a thing…" He drifted off midsentence as he quickly perused the letter. "Like that?" Rumald finished with a smile to Albert, laying the letter on the open pile. "And while you're putting them up, I've got business to attend to."

"Really?" Albert exclaimed, while Rumald collected together the unopened envelopes and letters.

Rumald inclined his head to the side and asked. "Problem?"

"No." Albert droned and sauntered away from them back to entrance hall.

"Rumald, please, I just…" He held up his hand to her, halting her from saying anything more to him. "I don't want to hear anything more on the matter. I'm not going to change my mind. What's done is done."

Belle reached out to touch his forearm. "We agreed we weren't going to do, what you and Milah used to do. We weren't just going to brush things under the carpet and pretend it didn't happen."

Rumald's scarred eyebrow quirked up at her and said. "I never thought you'd ever lie to me." His eyebrow lowered. "Things never always turn out the way we thought they would, sweetheart."

"What's that suppose to mean?" She questioned clenching her fingers into his shirtsleeve.

"Just sharing a lifetime's piece of advice." He said waving the letters and envelopes through the air.

"Please," Belle begged gently squeezing his forearm through his shirtsleeve. "Stay and have a cup of coffee. We can just sit down and talk about what's gone on this week. Or we can just… I don't know, whatever. Please don't go."

His expression remained stoic as he gazed down at her from behind his protective walls. She realised looking into his eyes that she did not see him. Did not see her Rumald. Stood before her was Mr Gold, landlord and pawnshop owner. She squeezed her eyes shut at the realisation. A lie and a blackmail had built the foundations, and a strong moral code had placed the last brick into the wall.

"I've got things to do." Rumald said as he pulled his arm out of her hold. Opening her eyes, Belle followed him leave the kitchen with her eyes until he was out of her sight and squeezed her eyes shut again, cursing herself for not telling him in the coffee shop. She heard the front door open and closed, but remained stood in the kitchen.

There was banging and cursing coming from the entrance hall, but it did not alarm her. All she wanted to do was run through the front door and grovel at his feet. Beg him to come home and take down the wall. She wanted to bask in his warmth again, instead she was left feeling colder than it was outside and she did not like that feeling. Not when it was coming from him.

"Belle!" A voice called. "Help!"

Startled by his call, Belle jumped into action and raced into the entrance hall to find a large box wedged into the top of the doorframe. She quickly grabbed the box and directed it through the doorway, freeing Albert to come through the doorway as well.

She took the box from him as he struggled with another box and bag. "Why didn't you just bring one up at a time?"

"I was fine until I got caught on the doorframe." He defended getting a better hold on the box and bag he was left with.

"One at a time, next time." Belle told him, shaking her head side to side at him.

Albert smiled stupidly at her and led the way into the living room, asking. "Dad gone?"

"Yeah." She replied in a quieter voice, glancing to the front door as she walked by it.

"What's up with him?" Albert asked placing the box and bag down onto the coffee table in the living room. "He's behaving like he's got a stick up his ass again."

"Albert!" Belle exclaimed at him, dropping the large box she carried to the floor.

"What!" He exclaimed back.

She shook her head forcefully at him this time, saying. "Don't talk about your father like that!"

"I'm only calling it as I see it." Albert said in his defence and opened the box on the coffee table.

"Yes, well… There's been some things going on and he's just not very happy about them." She explained coming to stand beside him and nosed into the box he had opened.

He glanced at her beside him as he grabbed at the pile of tinsel in the top of the box. "I thought he told Grandma the deal with Mr Hyde and the Mills was sorted."

"As far as I am aware, it is." She said reaching into the box to pick up the angel that had been laying helpless underneath the tinsel.

"Then whose upset him?" Albert asked removing a plastic tub containing baubles from the box.

Belle set the angel down onto the coffee table beside the box, saying. "Your mother, your grandfather and me."

"Oh…" Albert halted his movements, mid picking out another tub of baubles, and looked at her.

"Don't worry about it." She told him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Let's get these decorations up. We're looking a bit naked compared to everyone else."

Belle did not miss Albert raising his eyebrows questioningly at her as she reached into the box to find more tinsel in the bottom, but she did not want to discuss it any further with Albert. She did not want to see the disappointment in his eyes, when she told him how she had kept a secret from his father. Though she was sure, Albert would have probably comforted her and told her everything would be fine. She did not want to hear that from him. She wanted Rumald to take her into his arms, whispering everything would be fine as he rested his cheek against the top of her head.

Songs: Chris Rea – Fool, If You Think It's Over  
Kelly Clarkson – Didn't I


	100. Chapter 100

Author: Before you get into reading the new/next chapter, I just want to thank you for staying with the story and reading it.

Laying on the couch with the sunshine pouring in through the living room window, Belle propped her book over her chest and was reading through 'The Early Stages of Pregnancy', enjoying the somewhat peaceful Sunday morning. There was a shout of anger from upstairs and a curse and a stomp from Albert's bedroom as he played his game. She grinned at hearing another stomp and loud groan and turned the page in her book. Having him home after a week away was heavenly and an eye opener to how much she missed having him around.

After spending the majority of the week on her own, it had been really nice to spend Saturday with Albert. They had setup the Christmas tree in the living room and had decorated it with the baubles and tinsel from the box and bag. Two stockings hung from the mantelpiece over the fire, Rumald's and Albert's. The extra pieces of tinsel they did not use on the tree, Belle had hooked over the corners of the pictures and mirror hanging in the living room, adding an extra bit of festiveness to the room. They had even had enough left over to decorated the bottom rungs of the banister to the stairs. By the time, they had finished it was nearly five o'clock in the afternoon, so whilst Albert had taken the boxes and such down into the basement, Belle had rung and ordered his favorite pizza. They had sat on the couch together, Netflix their background noise, while they had chatted about their trips to Aspen and New York munching on pizza.

Belle flicked to the next page of her book as the front door unlocked and opened. Twisting her head awkwardly, she watched Rumald enter the house and close the door behind himself. With his back to her, he leant backward on the spot he stood, shrugging off his overcoat, to see through into the kitchen. As Rumald hung his coat onto one of the empty pegs, Belle turned her head back to her book and found her place on the page.

She had been laid in bed reading her book, when at midnight she had heard the front door open. By the time she had gotten to their bedroom door to investigate, Rumald had been coming down the hallway unbuttoning the shirt he had worn that day. Their eyes had met in the darkness, but no words were exchanged. Not even as Belle had opened the door wider for him, happily welcoming him back to their bed, to watch him open the door to guest bedroom and enter it. He did not even quirk the corner of his lips at her. No smile. No loving gaze. Just neutral. Slightly shocked, Belle had remained in the doorway to their bedroom as he had closed the door to the guest bedroom. The sound of the catch clicking into place had been her trigger. The igniter to her temper in that moment. A million thoughts had poured through her mind from 'What can I do to make this better?' to 'Well, you can go fuck yourself!'. Her train of thought had finished on '…go fuck yourself!' and she had immediately slammed her bedroom door shut.

Her exasperated cry had filled their bedroom and no doubt could have been heard in the guest bedroom, but she had not cared and had stomped over to their bed, climbed into it and had huffed into her pillow as she had pulled the covers over herself. Belle had bit into her lip and clenched her eyes shut, mentally ordering herself she would not cry. She would not shed a tear over his stupidity. So, she had laid there in silence going through things in her head until she had fallen asleep, dreaming of their trip to New York.

Running her finger down the edge of the page, Belle posed her finger ready to turn to the next page in her book as her eyes ran across the lines to the end of the page. Effortlessly, she turned the page and breathed in deeply through her nose before closing her eyes. All she wanted was to get up and hug him. To kiss his soft firm lips. To run her fingers through his hair and tug it between her fingers. Her book dropped to lay over her chest as she felt the familiar twinge between her legs, the animalistic want for him.

Belle lifted her book and marked her page, so she could close it to discard to the end table above her head. The urge to read was gone. She knew as she sat up and flung her legs over the edge of the couch, sitting up properly on it, she would not be able to concentrate on reading with the elephant back in the room. She leant onto her knees with her elbows and rubbed a hand over her face. Peeping by her hand, Belle watched him climb up the stairs drinking from a cup with his phone held up in front of him. Forcefully she shook her head and flung herself backwards into the couch, trying to understand why she was the only one who seemed to be troubled by elephant sat across from her, smiling devilishly at her. Yet Rumald, showed no care for the world. For her.

"I hate this." She said out loud to herself and stood up from the couch. As she left the living room, she collected her cup from earlier and took it with her into the kitchen. Belle checked the water level in kettle before turning it on, knowing it would not take long to boil, and picked a tea bag out from their pot to put into her cup.

The front door opened and closed. The noise drew Belle to look over her shoulder to the entrance hall to see Gladius enter. "Good morning, Belle!"

"Hi, Gladius." Belle genuinely smiled at Gladius. "Sounds like Albert enjoyed his trip to Aspen."

"It was really good. Loved it." Gladius commented repositioning the straps of her handbag on her forearm.

"Coffee?" She asked gesturing to the kettle.

Gladius grinned. "Yes, please." She answered and then her gaze drifted upwards. "Rumald upstairs?"

There was a pause before Belle answered. "He's literally just gone upstairs."

"Perfect." Gladius made a move to head to the stairs, but stopped and stepped further into the kitchen from the entrance hall. "Everything alright, Belle?"

The kettle clicked, but Belle ignored it to answer Gladius's question. "It is what it is at the minute."

"That doesn't sound good." Gladius said taking a few more steps into the room, bringing her to stand at the end of the counter that separate the kitchen from the breakfast table.

"It's not really, but I'm trying not to dwell on it too much." She told Gladius as she leaned back against the counter behind her.

"Anything I can help with?" Gladius asked with a warm smile. Her smile distracted Belle for a second. It had been a long time, since she had seen the warm smile only a mother could give someone. Seeing Gladius's smile made a small smile appear on Belle.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't know how you could." Belle chuckled with a thought before sharing it to Gladius. "Unless you have a time machine?"

Snickering, Gladius said. "No and believe me, dear, if I did, I would have used it by now on Milah."

The mention of Milah's name took the amused look off Belle's face. If it had not been for her, the situation probably would not have been as bad as it was now. They were fine. They would have sat down Tuesday night together and discussed Monday night's confessional, and then probably gone to bed and made love. But instead, because of Rumald's actions, the moment was forever ripped away from them, leaving them in a stalemate.

"Belle, are you sure, you're alright?" Gladius asked, bringing Belle out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Belle said forcing a smile. "Go on up and I'll bring your coffee up."

"Sure?" Gladius pushed sensing there was more.

Waving Gladius's concern away with her hand, Belle spun round to face the kettle, saying. "Yep. Sure. Go on, I'll bring it up in a minute."

Belle opened the cupboard by her head and took out a cup for Gladius, and dumped a spoonful of coffee into it. Glancing over her shoulder, she observed Gladius move into the entrance hall and out of sight. Alone, Belle dropped the teaspoon into Gladius's cup and leant down onto the counter. She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw anything close to hand across the room. Her anger had replaced her sadness about the situation, tired with the longevity of it.

And all she could think, was 'why can't he just talk to me?'.

Huffing her anger away, she stood up straight and snatched the kettle from it stand to pour water into both cups. She was determined that she was not going to let it upset her. She had promised herself as she had laid in bed after their encounter, she would try not to let it get to her. If he wanted to behave like a child and be stubborn about it, fine.

Belle stirred Gladius's coffee thoroughly and tossed the spoon to the counter, when she was happy with the consistency of it. Hooking her fingers around the handle of the cup, she carried it by the fridge and seized the opportunity to grab Albert a coke on her way by it before heading through into the entrance hall and up the stairs. She ducked into Albert's bedroom, snickering at the way he was sat hunched over in his swivel chair, a headset on his head, and had his face nearly flat against the screen of his television. Knowing not to disturb him or stand in between him and the game, Belle negotiated her way by him to put his coke on his desk. She could not help but to soothe a hand over his back, smiling at the child in the teenage body. He did not respond. Too wrapped up in his game to register anything else.

She left closing his door to a jar and strolled down the hallway to Rumald's study, where she guessed he and Gladius was. His door was partly open and she could hear the conversation they were having the nearer she got.

"Everyone's happy." Rumald stated. "The Mills have got their piece of land and we've actually got the money for it now. And Hyde has that bit of land further down the shore, that you wanted to sell." Belle stopped outside of the door, loving the sound of his voice.

"No come backs?" Gladius asked.

"No." He said. "All contracts are signed and in your safe. Money is deposited into your bank."

"Good." Gladius stated. "I don't want no rude men turning up on my door or Mrs Mills cornering me at the Golf Club."

Belle heard Rumald chuckled and it was heavenly. "I've told you how to stop that from happening. Stop going to the Golf Club."

"Anyway," Gladius was changing the subject. "How was your trip to New York with Belle?"

"Best I've ever had." He said shortly.

Belle smiled and shouldered up against the doorframe. "There's a but. I can hear it."

"It seems my father fancied meeting Belle." There was an undertone she could hear in Rumald's voice, which made her squeeze her eyes shut as he spoke. "And she thought it best not to tell me until we were back here."

"Oh."

"Oh, indeed."

Belle opened her eyes to stare down at the wooden floor. "What did Malcolm want?"

"Nothing from what I understand, or so Belle tells me." Rumald said. "Just stopped by to have coffee with her, thankfully. But she thinks he did it to upset me, so that's why she thought she had the right to lie to me."

She went to take the final step into the doorway, revealing herself to defend herself, when Gladius said. "She's probably right."

"That's not the point though. She lied to me." He countered.

"Like you haven't lied to her." Gladius threw back, surprisingly Belle. "And you said it was for her own good."

"That's different. How am I supposed to tell her that her father offered me money to leave her?" Rumald asked, probably gesturing his hand in the direction of the door to the hallway. "It's bad enough, he did what he did to split us up once. To hear, he tried to pay me off, is just pathetic."

Her back straightened as Rumald added. "I don't want to upset her."

"You're such a hypocrite at times." Gladius stated. "You're doing exactly, what she was trying to do by not telling you about your father. Instead, she has the balls to tell you."

"I am quite capable of telling her. I just don't see how it is going to benefit anyone by further blackening his name." There was creak before Rumald continued. "And for your information, the only reason she told me, was because Milah was trying to blackmail her."

Gladius sounded appalled. "What? Milah?"

Belle breathed in deeply, while Rumald filled Gladius in on the details of Milah trying to blackmail her. Her anger had gone from mild irritation to full blown 'I could rip your head off'. He had the audacity to guilt her with the fact that she had lied to him, kept the truth from him, yet he had been doing it to her already. Except he had not felt guilty about the fact. He had coldly decided her fate, decided to keep the piece of information from her, because it did not benefit anyone. Leading her to the thought, that when the time came, he would use that vital piece of information for a purpose. Sway a decision or situation by telling her about it.

"This is just stupid." Gladius announced bringing Belle out of her thoughts. "Now, I understand Belle's comment of a time machine."

"What?" Rumald questioned.

"She's right, you know? You've let your father get the better of you. You used to be the same about Milah, but you seem to let it go these days." Gladius told him righteously.

Rumald's voice became very low. "I've told you, you will never understand what he did to me."

"I probably would, if you actually told me!" Gladius's voice grew louder. "This was one of the reasons you went to see Doctor Hopper. Maybe you should book an appointment with him tomorrow."

There was a loud bang in the study. The sound made Belle jump. Alarmed something had happened to one of them, Belle barged the study door open and revealed herself to them. Rumald was stood behind his desk, his hand clenched into a fist on his table, while Gladius sat calmly in one of the armchairs he had on the other side of the desk.

"I AM NOT SEEING A THERAPIST!" Rumald bellowed, his shoulders were hunched up around his neck, glaring at Gladius where she sat.

"You said it helped last time." Gladius threw back at him, unaffected by his behaviour.

"I lied!" He breathed heavily. "I never went back!"

Gladius shook her head at him. "Stupid boy."

Swiping his hand across his desk, he knocked his coffee cup and papers off the edge, proclaiming. "I'm not stupid!"

"Rumald," Gladius said calmly standing up from the armchair and in one movement, picked up her handbag from where it had been sat by her feet. "I'm not talking to you, when you're like this. You know, where I'll be when you've calmed down." She told him moving to where Belle was stood in the doorway.

Belle moved aside to allow Gladius by, but looked at Gladius, when the older woman touched her arm. "Sometimes I have to wonder about him."

With that said, Gladius moved pass Belle and left, walking down the hallway to descend the stairs at the end of it. While she had been doing that, Rumald had groaned and placed his hands over his face.

Watching him, she had to know. "When?"

He dropped his hands from his face and looked at her. "When what?"

"When did my father offer you money?" She asked tightly grasping the handle of the coffee cup meant for Gladius.

Rumald gestured with his hand towards the doorway behind her. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

"Rumald, when!" Belle asked more sternly.

He huffed a breath through his nose before he said. "About a month before I asked you to marry me."

"So, you've known all this time, but not once thought that you probably should tell me?" She questioned with her voice thick with anger.

"It's not as easy as that." He defended stepping around his desk. "I didn't want to…"

Belle whipped her hand up to gesture stop to him with her hand, which halted him speaking and walking. "I don't want to hear it! If I'm to follow your example, intentions don't matter! The fact that I lied to you seemed to be the only thing that mattered to you! So right now, the fact you lied to me, is the only thing I am interested in!"

"Belle, listen to me." Rumald begged taking a step.

"No!" She forcefully thrusted her hand towards him, reinforcing her command to stop. "I don't want to hear it! You haven't wanted to hear me, so I'm not going to listen to you!"

He took a helpless step forward. "Belle, please!"

Pointing her finger at him, Belle said. "Don't you, Belle, please, me!" She shook her finger at him. "You have made me feel so alone this week. And made me feel so guilty, because you wouldn't come home. And now! Now, I find out you've been lying to me for months!"

"Sit down and listen to me." Rumald waved to the chairs beside him.

Belle waved her hands through the air, sloshing the coffee inside the cup over its edge, exclaiming. "Gladius is right! You're a hypocrite!"

"Come on, sit down. We'll talk like you want." He suggested extending a verbal olive branch to her.

With an infuriated cry, Belle whipped round on the heel of her socked foot and stomped away from him down the hallway. She wanted to cry, she wanted to yell, she wanted to throw the coffee cup at him. She wanted so many things, all Belle could think to do was leave. She had to get out of the house. She had to get away from him before she broke down into a million pieces and lost herself to her emotions.

Discarding the cup to the newel at the top of the stairs, Belle raced down the stairs thinking only of getting out of the house. He was close, his footsteps a couple behind her down the stairs. She swung herself on the end of the banister towards the pile of shoes and coats, and stuffed her feet into her sneakers as she grabbed her winter coat from the hooks.

"Belle!" He shouted coming down the stairs. "Stop! Please!"

"No!" She told him powerfully, stopping him in his step on the last step of the stairs. Rumald was frozen his hand on the banister, half posed off the last step of the stairs. Their gaze was locked, while she yanked open the front door and left, slamming the door behind her. It clattered into place, threatening to break the glass, as she quickly descended the steps of the porch. Belle did not look back. She threw her coat on, buttoned it up, turned up the collar, and marched off away from the house without a backwards glance. She knew she had promised him once that she would never walk away from him, but she had to do it. Otherwise, Belle feared she would tell him things she would not mean, ending things when it would be the last thing she would ever want.


	101. Chapter 101

The warmth of the tea between her hands was a nice soothing distraction. She had walked for hours around Storybrooke, her head hung low as she processed what she had heard Rumald and Gladius discussing. Hearing her father wanted Rumald to leave her did not make her angry. It made her feel sorry for him. Pity his desperation. His actions were no doubt driven by loneliness and overwhelming need to save her from the horrible Mr Gold. Shrugging her eyebrows up her forehead briefly, Belle sipped from the hot beverage and cupped it in her lap.

The door behind her creaked open. "Grannie's making you something to eat."

"She doesn't need to do that." Belle twisted to see Ruby, but stopped and turned the other way after realising Ruby was coming around the other end of the couch.

"Don't be silly." Ruby told her taking the seat next to her on the couch. "Grannie will sit on you and spoon feed you, if you resist."

"She probably would, wouldn't she?" She commented settling back into the couch.

"So, it's all kicking off in the Gold household then?" Ruby asked, even though she knew the answer to be yes.

Belle lopped her head to the side and gave Ruby a pointed look, and said sarcastically. "Just a little."

A lopsided smile graced Ruby's face. "I'm sure, you'll fix it."

Her eyebrows lifted for a second and then Belle forced a smile, which slowly dissipated. The hours she had spent walking about the town, her thoughts had run through every possibly conclusion to their situation. She wanted to fix it. She wanted to walk through the front door with the solution in her hand and sort it. However, the more she had thought about it, the more she ran into more questions. Her mind spun with other things Rumald could have lied to her about. Then her mind would twist things he had done for her that could have had hidden reasons behind them. The marathon of thoughts had driven her insane until she had found herself wandering up Main Street and had found herself being drawn to Grannies.

"At least things are all out in the open now." Ruby said thoughtfully as she lifted her legs up to fold up beside herself.

"Are they though?" Belle asked flinging a hand out, gesturing blindly.

Shrugging her shoulders, Ruby then said. "Are things ever all out in the open?" Belle looked at Ruby as she continued to say. "Just look at this way. You two are never boring like Mary-Margaret and David."

Closing her eyes shut for second, Belle opened them again to look at Ruby. "I should be glad that my relationship with Rumald is never boring?"

"Yeah!" Ruby smiled. "The most drama they have is deciding whether to buy three or four ply toilet rolls."

"Oh, well… When you put it like that… Ruby, really!" Belle scolded shaking her head and drank from her tea.

"What?" Ruby exclaimed holding her hands up.

She rolled her eyes at Ruby. "You can't say that about our friend."

"I can, when it's the truth!" Ruby told her.

"You're getting worse." Belle said thinking aloud as she propped her cup on top of her thigh.

"And you, are too quick to see the good in people." Ruby threw back and then added. "Although, it took you a while to see it in Rumald."

"Talking of Rumald," Grannie interrupted them, popping her head around the corner of the door. "He's waiting down in the diner."

Belle shoot forward to sit onto the edge of the couch, crooking herself to look at Grannie. "Rumald? Here?"

Grannie nodded her head. "Yes."

Taking a hasty sip from her tea, Belle then stood up and placed her cup down onto the coffee table. Her brow weighed down over her eyes, tensing her forehead, while she stood helplessly in the middle of the living room. All the thoughts she had on her walk, all the things she had thought to say to him, were alluding her. Belle was at a lost. Like so many times before, her mind became unable to do the simplest of thoughts.

"Do you want me to come down with you and sort him out?" Ruby asked throwing her legs over the edge of the couch, ready to stand at any moment.

"No, no." Belle muttered quickly. Jumping, she made her way by the couch and opened the door further, revealing more of Grannie. She smiled at the older woman before squeezing by her and headed out of Grannies little annex, and down into the diner.

Breathing out anxiously, she descended the stairs and pulled the sleeves of her hoodie over her hands, and wrapped her arms around herself. A chill ran through her, apprehension yet excitement at the same time. Belle stepped off the last step and began the short walk from the B&B reception, down the connecting corridor, to the diner. She drew her bottom lip into her mouth and bit into the usual small indents in her lip, imagining people probably had the same trepidation when they were sent to the principal's office. A naughty thought of Rumald playing principal and her naughty school girl crossed her mind, as she rounded the corner into the diner.

She stopped. Rumald was stood by the counter, his back to her, bracing himself onto the edge of the counter with his hands. He was dimly lit by the light shining through the opening from the kitchen. His overcoat collar was turned up, causing some tuffs of hair to stick unruly out from the rest of his hair. Belle wanted to run over to him and play with the odd pieces of hair, relishing in the softness of his hair. But with the narrowness of his shoulders and how he kept his back straight, she knew he was here in on business.

"Hey." Belle called quietly, secretly hoping she startled him as he had done to her on so many occasions. He simple cocked his head to look in her direction, his stance still the same as he eyed her over his shoulder. Under his gaze, she dropped her arms down from in front of herself. The look he could give people at times, was enough to dress them down and remove all their securities. Yet, all his gaze ever did to her, was make her want to undress herself.

He sniffed in loudly pushing himself away from the counter and pivoted to face her, leaving his right hand to glide over the counter and left it resting there. "I never chase anyone."

"What?" She asked angling her head questioningly.

"When Milah left," Rumald started to say as he unbuttoned his overcoat. "I did not chase her. I didn't beg her. I didn't plead for her to come home. I let her go."

"Okay." Belle said, even though she was unsure why he was telling her that.

He removed his overcoat from his shoulders and shook it down his arms to remove it, and lay it onto the counter behind him. "I learnt from a young age, not to beg or plead for things."

She remained silent as he removed his suit jacket and carefully laid it by his overcoat on the counter, saying. "Because you asked where certain scars came from, I have told you how I got them. How my father beat me." Rumald told her, unbuttoning his waistcoat to remove it and joined his suit jacket and overcoat. "These were times I had begged for certain things. Pleaded to go with him. Or wanted nothing more than for him to hold me and tell me the monsters under my bed wouldn't get me, just like I did for Bae."

"Rumald…" Belle tried to talk to him, but was stopped, much like he was, by him holding up his hand to her, tugging his tie from around his neck to remove it. "I swore to myself, the time I took a beating, I would never beg or plead for anything in my life." The tie slipped from his collar and was tossed to the counter. "I built walls. Kept myself protected from him."

"Rumald, what's this got to do with anything?" She asked shifting her weight on her hips.

He finished unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt and opened out his collar, saying. "I promised you once to be open with you." His voice was calm and calculated. "So, I'm going to be open with you."

Her eyebrows scrunched together, unsettled by the way he was talking to her, whilst he carried on talking. "I tried once, like I've told you, to share things from my past with Milah. Because I was stupid and naive, and it was first time I… thought I felt love for someone." He turned his face away from her, a look a disgust crossed it. "But it was nothing compared to how I feel about you."

"I only wanted to talk about you kicking Milah out of her home." She gestured with her hands.

"But you need to understand, why I kicked her out of her home." Rumald unhooked his cufflinks and pocketed them, and began rolling up his sleeves. "And why it matters so much now."

"Now?" Belle was feeling lost.

A smirk crossed his lips for a second, which he wiped away with his hand, but his smirk did not show amusement. "I love two things in my life. Bae and… you." The strength in his shoulders wavered. "My father has never tried anything with Bae, because the one time he saw him, he saw too much of my mother in him." Rumald hung his head low. "He knows he can't hurt me directly anymore, so he has waited."

Rubbing her fingers back and forth over her forehead, Belle said. "What's your father got to do with kicking Milah out of her home?"

"Because" He lifted his head to look at her. "I was sending a message back to my father."

"To your father?" She questioned dropping her hand down from her forehead.

"She has been a main pawn of his for years." Rumald told her, waving his hands. "The only reason her and Killian are able to do what they do, is because my father looks after her. And in turn for his…" He breathed in, taking a moment. "Kindness. She'll do his bidding, which is a main reason Milah and me argued so much over the years."

"Of course," Rumald flamboyantly turned showing his back to her and threw his hand up into the air. "Milah is not stupid and is not an innocent in all this. And I just couldn't help myself, when the opportunity presented itself, to take some kind of vengeance for me, for Bae, for you." He finished saying as he whirled round to face her.

Belle squinted her gaze at him. "It's not your fault, it's your father's then?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "This is not about whose right or wrong, Belle." As he looked at her, his eyes softened. "But a message needed to be sent."

"I don't understand." She was trying to understand, she really was, but with his revelation came more questions. "Why?"

"Like I've said, I've built up walls over the years." Rumald reiterated himself as he placed his hand on the edge of the counter. "I hadn't realised though until last week, how that had changed. How I was lettings things get the better of me and not seeing the big picture anymore."

"Rumald, what are you trying to tell me?" Belle pushed, wanting him to be straight to the point.

His eyes wandered everywhere in the diner before his gaze settled on her. "You've changed everything." He lifted his hand from the counter and placed it over his heart. "You've changed me."

She frowned, while he took a step towards her, his hand lingered over his heart. "You broke through my walls, tore them down, and showed me love." He stepped closer. "I stand before you with no armour." Rumald gestured to his clothes on the counter with a sweep of his arm. "Bearing myself to you, so you'll understand."

"I don't understand, what's that got to do with your father." Belle crossed her arms over her chest as he took another step closer. "Or why you couldn't tell me about my father? Or why you had to shut me out last week?"

Rumald raised his hand to stroke his thumb over her cheek, his touch soft and gentle, as he spoke. "Because you're my weakness, sweetheart, and I have to protect you." He cupped her cheek. "It was as your father was offering me the money, that I realised I wouldn't want to live this life without you, Belle." The corner of his lip curled. "My aunt just gave this coward the kick in the right direction."

"You're not coward." She placed her hand tightly over the back of his hand, pressing his hand flat against her face.

"You need to understand, Belle." He pressed on, ignoring her comment. "Everything I do is for you and Bae, and for this little one." Rumald looked down from her face and she felt his other hand gently glide over her stomach, and then he brought his gaze back up to meet hers. "I love you unconditionally and I never want to lose you. Never!"

Belle squeezed her eyes shut and shied her face away from him, hiding part of her face into his hand, saying. "Gladius is right." Opening her eyes, she met his eyes. "You are stupid."

His scarred eyebrow lifted, while she placed her hands on either side of his face. "You don't have to face anyone on your own anymore. Especially not your father." Belle closed the small space between them, drawing his head down to rest his forehead against her own. "We are in this together, no matter what comes our way. Milah, or your father, we'll stand together."

Rumald clamped his eyes shut at her words, his hands were on her sides, his fingers clawed into her hoodie, holding onto her for dear life. She was gazing at his closed eyes, when she saw a tear sneak pass his eyelid and run down his face. Her thumb quickly swiped it away and the evidence of its travel down his cheek. Another escaped, followed by another down his other cheek. Wrapping his arms around her, he hoisted her tightly against his chest, grabbing fistfuls of her hoodie, while he buried his face into the gap between her neck and the hood of her hoodie. Belle stroked her hand down the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair.

"I will always chase after you." Rumald murmured against the skin of her neck, sending a tingle across her skin. A huff escaped her when she breathed out, lulling her head against his, tightening her hold on his hair and on the back of his shirt.


	102. Chapter 102

Magazine held up in front of herself, she glanced at the big white clock hung high on the opposing wall, ticking by the seconds until her appointment and, hopefully, Rumald's arrival. Her gaze drifted down from the clock and swept over the faces of the other expectant mothers. They had called about lunchtime, asking if she wanted to take the earlier appointment due to a cancellation. Though things had been arranged for later in the day, the excitement of seeing some kind of image of their child could not be contained. Belle had immediately burst with a joyous 'yes' and agreed to be there in an hour's time. Hurriedly, she had finalised things at the school, reorganised her tutor appointments for either later on that day or moved them to the next, while she had wedged her phone to her ear to tell Rumald the appointment had moved. He had panicked. Thinking he had all afternoon, Rumald had gone to an auction in Waterville, an hour away from Storybrooke. She worried her lower lip, anxiously deepening the indents in her lower lip as she spied the clock again over the top of her magazine.

Belle twisted to spy down the corridor to the entrance, mentally urging him to storm through the doors. He had promised. He had promised to be there as soon as he could. It was ten minutes to her appointment and still no sign of him. She had known as soon as she remembered where he was that day, it was going to be close. Anything that held him back by a few minutes: traffic lights, other drivers, hesitation, would be enough to make him miss the appointment. She quietly groaned at herself turning back to face forward and the magazine she had supposedly been reading since she had arrived.

Her eyes moved around the room again, moving from couple to couple, gently smiling at the happy couples. A small knife twisted in her side, jealous of them. She wanted what they had. The restless wait shared between parents as they waited to see their unborn child on the monitor. Tearing her eyes away from the unsuspecting couples, before she could be caught in the act, Belle forced her gaze down to the magazine she held up like a barrier.

There was a loud bang from further down the corridor, which drew everyone's attention in the waiting area. Angling her head to see, her smile broadened seeing Rumald jog down the corridor towards her. His pace slowed till he was walking, his chest heaving in and out as he straightened his clothing. Belle scoffed at the sight of him and closed the magazine to discard the magazine back to the table of magazines in the middle of the waiting room. With a loud huff, Rumald dropped into the seat next to her and in one movement, wrapped his arm around her to pull her close, kissing her fleetingly on her cheek. He blew out a loud breath and leant back into his seat.

"I'm sure, I've got a speeding fine." He shared with her, pulling his fingers out of his leather gloves to remove them.

"Rumald," She gave him a disapproving look, but her smirk gave it away. "You shouldn't have."

His brow momentarily knitted together as he looked at her through the corner of his eye. "Don't be stupid. I wouldn't miss this for the world. Course, I'm going to drive like a mad man to get here."

Belle slipped her hand into his and squeezed his fingers. "Shouldn't be long."

He nodded his head at the information, adjusting his tie. His hand moved up to the top his head to comb his fingers through his hair, ruffling his short locks back into place. Contently sighing to herself, Belle glanced up to the clock again to see it was time for her appointment. It was as her eyes descending down from the clock, she noticed everyone in the waiting area was staring in their direction. Pointing their gazes at their joined hands. Glaring at the love of her life sat beside her. Rumald leant into her, whispering suggestions for dinner plans that night, while Belle was held hostage to her own discontent for the other people in the room.

"Miss French!" Her name was called, but she made no move to acknowledge the call or to stand up. Another call of her name with more a questioning tone to it. However, she still did not respond to the call, lost in her own frustration. Belle wanted to scream at them. Question them as to why the man sat beside her, deserved the kind of attention they gave him? Why they felt they had the right to glare at her man, their landlord?

"Belle." Rumald used their joined hands to guide her up from her seat. "She's calling you, sweetheart." He whispered leading her from their seats. The eyes of the waiting room followed them as Rumald lead her to where the nurse was waiting for them. Seething quietly to herself, Belle choose, like she always did, to leave the ignorant behind them and fixed her gaze on the nurse, waiting in the doorway to the consultation room.

Exchanging her hand between his own, Rumald placed a gentle hand on her lower back, his usual spot, and persuaded her to take the lead in front of him. The simplistic of touches was enough to take her mind off the atmosphere of the waiting room.

"Miss French?" The nurse asked to clarify.

"Yes, sorry." Belle smiled apologetically, holding on tightly to Rumald's hand. The nurse briefly returned her smile and then edged out of the doorway, allowing her and Rumald entrance into the room.

They entered together and the nurse closed the door behind them. Belle's eyes widened at the realism of the situation. The room was decorated in informational posters, advising mum's to be of future issues and what they should not do. A chair dominated the room with various equipment within arm's length of the chair. She had an idea what the room would look like from various television shows and movies, but it was a daunting experience to be finally stood in the room, seconds away from seeing their child for the first time.

"If you would like to remove your coat, Miss French, and make yourself comfortable on the chair." The nurse suggested squeezing by them to cross the room to one of the counters, where a sink was sunk into the counter.

Rumald peeled her coat from her shoulders, asking in a whisper if she was alright. Nodding her head aimlessly at his question, she removed her arms from her coat and tugged down the sleeves of her cardigan. Her steps were unsure as she neared the chair dominating the room and edged herself up onto the chair. With her legs hanging over the edge, Belle looked to Rumald as he loitered nearby, lingering far enough away to not be in the way, but near enough if she needed him.

"How have you been, Miss French?" The nurse asked over her shoulder, washing her hands in the sink. "Much nausea? Any aches and pains?"

"Erm…" Belle thought over the questions. "Haven't felt any nausea… yet. My feet have been aching a bit and my lower back."

The nurse shut off the taps and shook the excess water off her hands before drying them with paper towels, as she said to Belle. "Doesn't sound much out of the ordinary. Though, you're right to say 'yet' about your nausea. I had one patient who didn't experience it until her third trimester." She smiled though it didn't reach her eyes. "Each mum is different."

"Right," The nurse said lifting her foot from the dustbin's pedal, allowing the lid of the dustbin to clunk down into place, while she plucked two gloves from the box on the side. "If you would like to lie back into the chair and reveal your stomach, Miss French, we'll endeavour to find your baby for you."

The nurse gestured to another stool to one side on the other side of the room. "You may sit on the stool, Mr Gold."

Twisting to spot the stool, Rumald quickly crossed to the stool and rolled it over to Belle's side, while she raised her legs up onto the chair, laying her legs straight out, and unbuttoned her cardigan to untuck her blouse from the waist of her skirt. Rumald laid her coat over his lap and angled himself to be close to Belle. Their gazes met and they smiled. The nurse was oblivious to their exchange, while she wheeled her own stool over to Belle's other side and began operating the ultrasound.

"This is probably going to feel cold at first." The nurse explained before grabbing a tube from a shelve under the ultrasound and squeezed some out onto Belle's stomach without even looking. Belle jolted from the sudden coldness of the gel. Her hand shot to grab Rumald, fisting a handful of his overcoat in her hand. He grinned.

"Okay, just lie back into the chair and relax, Miss French, and we'll try and find your baby for you." The nurse said stretching her arm out to full length, pulling the twisted cable to untangle it, and swept down like an eagle to rub the ultrasound into the area she had squeezed the gel. As the nurse pasted the gel out, evening it out over the small bump of Belle's stomach, Belle was studying the other woman's face. The reassuring smile the nurse was showing them, Belle could see was not heart felt. She squinted her gaze at the other woman, semi aware of the nurse moving the ultrasound around on her stomach, trying to decide whether it was because the nurse was tired of the numerous times she had done this procedure or if it was because of the man sat beside her, who had picked up her hand and was clasping it against his cheek.

Something clicked and the nurse turned the monitor to face them, beaming. "There you go."

Belle flicked her eyes from the nurse to the monitor. Her smile grew. There they were. She drew her lower lip into her mouth, digging in her teeth, as she gushed at the outline of their baby's head. The realism of the fact there was a baby inside of her, their baby, caused a quick tear to cascade down her cheek.

The nurse was prating on about things, writing things down onto the clipboard she had hidden on a shelf of the ultrasound. She was not listening. The image of their child held her attention. Mentally she promised them everything. Promised they would never know heartache like she had. Promised they would never be dragged from town to town, torn away from anything they could remotely call home. Promised they would never know the difficulties of poverty. They would have so much more than she had ever had as a child. They would grow up secure like Albert had.

"Belle." Rumald called squeezing her fingers.

She looked round from the monitor to find Rumald stooped over her, his handkerchief in hand offering it to her. Taking the offered handkerchief, Belle wiped at her eyes and her cheeks, startled by the amount of wetness.

"Here you go." The nurse offered an envelope to Rumald. "As you've requested, I've put a third one in there for you."

"Thank you." Rumald took the envelope and slipped it into the inside pocket of his overcoat.

For a second, the nurse turned her back to them and turned back with paper towels, which she offered towards Belle. "Here you go, Miss French. Some paper towels to clean off the gel."

"Oh, thank you." Belle wiped the handkerchief over her cheek as she took the offered paper towels and began cleaning the gel off her stomach. The sensation of the gel oozing over her stomach was strange. She grinned thinking of that night in New York. His tongue trailing hot wet paths over her skin, worshipping her as he worked his way down her body to nestle between her thighs.

"I'll take that from you, Miss French." The nurse held her hand out for the paper towels. Silently, Belle handed the soiled towels to the nurse and pulled down her blouse, while the nurse deposed of the towels.

With her back to them, the nurse removed her gloves and dropped them in the bin as well, as she said. "Someone will be in touch to arrange your next appointment. But at the moment, everything looks healthy and there's nothing for you to worry about. Just keep doing whatever you're doing at the moment."

Rumald helped her hop off of the chair and steadied her landing, juggling her coat over his arm, as he caught her elbow. Sure, she was steady on her own feet, he took hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together, and guided her out of the room. The nurse waited expectantly by the door, her force smile on display again. Belle could not help but watch the nurse as they left, a strong urge to call the nurse out.

Leaning into her, once they were through the door and strolling down the corridor together, Rumald asked in a hushed voice. "Are you okay? You're very unusually quiet."

"Everyone keeps giving you these funny looks." Belle informed him, absently gesturing behind them. "Just annoys me."

"Sweetheart," He smiled and stroked a loose curl behind her ear for her. "Don't worry about things like that. I don't."

She twisted to stand her ground on the issue, but was persuaded to keep walking by Rumald's gentle hand on her lower back. "I don't normally. It's just really grating on me."

His smile was soft as he pushed opened the door, allowing them to exit the department into the rest of the hospital, and said. "I believe, possibly, that could be your hormones."

"It's not right though, Rumald!" Belle urged walking on an angle to face him with her concern, whilst being herded by Rumald's arm.

A slight shake of his head and Rumald opened another door for them, saying. "Belle, it's fine. It works in my favour and at the end of the day, I'm not their friend. I'm their landlord." He slid his arm with ease to clasp around her waist, from her lower back, and squeezed her into his side. "Like I said, don't worry about it."

"Suppose." She grumbled quietly to herself, scrunching her lips in disgust.

"Come on." Rumald removed his arm from around her to hold her coat up for her, and waited for her to feet her arms into it.

"Still don't like it." She mumbled loud enough for him to hear and fed her arms, one by one, into the sleeves of her coat.

He helped her into her coat, easing it over her shoulders, and stepped casually around her to stand in front of her, straightening and buttoning her coat for her, as he said. "There are many things in this life, I don't like, sweetheart. But you've just got to remember, it's business and not personal."

"It is for them." Belle told him, pulling out her woolly hat from her pocket to pull forcefully onto her head.

Clasping her face between his hands, Rumald kissed her sweetly on the lips. "I think I quite like seeing you get all…" He paused to think of the word. "Protective."

"They just don't see the kind man I see and it's so annoying." She said with a grumble, fishing her gloves out of her other coat pocket to feed her hands into them. Rumald was mirroring her, pulling on his own gloves.

"Belle," He said her name to draw her to look at him and took hold of her by her upper arms. "As long as you see that, that's all that matters to me. I don't care what everyone else thinks of me."

She deflated in his grasp. Her shoulders slumped. Half his lips pulled into his customary half a smile and Rumald gathered her up into his arms, kissing the side of her head as they settled into a hug. They were stood in the main foyer of the hospital, people coming and going around them. Belle had not even noticed where they were until she heard the overhead call for 'Doctor Whale, please report to OR 2'.

"Have you got much on this afternoon?" Rumald asked leaning back in her arms, just enough so he could see her face.

"No, rearranged it all for tomorrow." She informed him, reaching up to stroke some of his unruly hair back into place. His hair was the longest she had seen it, apart from the pictures she had seen in the basement. Her gloved fingers followed the flow of his hair, combing the unruly tuffs back into order.

"Well, then." He re-clasped his arms around her, tightening his grip on her, pressing her body against his own, while he suggested. "As we both have an afternoon to ourselves…" Rumald let the first part of his suggestion sink in as his smile broadened. "We could head home and make use of this time alone?"

Belle's mind had already jumped onto Rumald's train of thought. Lashing her arms around his neck, a sultry smile spread her lips as she gazed up into Rumald's lustful eyes.

"Suppose, we could make use of this quality time together. There's plenty of presents I've still got to wrap. You could help me with that." She joked to him, chuckling when he rolled his eyes at her. Pulling his head closer, Belle captured his lips and kissed him longingly.

When their kiss ended, Rumald said. "I've just got to pop to the shop on the way home."

"Okay." She said in response, slowly lowering her arms down from his neck, smoothing her hands down the front of his open overcoat. Gesturing with his head, Rumald took the lead and her hand, and they headed out of the hospital, strolling without a care to the hospital parking lot. A kiss of farewell and they split to head to their respected cars.

As she climbed into her car and shut her car door, Rumald's Cadillac passed by, rolling by at a slow pace so he could check she had gotten to her car safely. Seeing she was alright, he sped up leaving her to follow a few minutes after him. Belle wore a 'shit eating' grin as she drove. Instead of her thoughts plagued by the cold shoulder Storybrooke residents gave Rumald, she daydreamed of their night in New York. The new sensations he had shown her. The way he knew where to touch her, as if he had a map of her body. A key to unlock the ultimate orgasm for her.

Belle knew, as she pulled up to the kerb in front of the house, that not every time they made love could live up to that one night, but one could still dream. Just the thought of him touching her, touching her the way he did that night, made her so hot under the collar, she was tempted to strip off on her way up into the house. She giggled getting out of her car and sucked in her lower lip, grating her teeth over her soft tender skin. The sensation provoked the memory of Rumald doing the same thing to her, sucking her lower lip into his mouth to rake her lip between his teeth. A warmth was building between her legs, whilst she traipsed up the front lawn and climbed the steps of the porch to the front door. Belle wanted him so badly in that moment, she struggled with the keys to unlock the front door.

Heavily sighing, she finally entered the house and stripped off her hat and gloves, discarding them to the pile of shoes on the floor, and shrugged off her coat to throw at the coat pegs. Her mind raced with possibilities. With her naughty ideas, Belle raced up the stairs and into their bedroom, quickly removing her cardigan, blouse and skirt to leave on the floor. She kicked off her flats and fought with her tights to remove them, gyrating her hips to try aid with working the form fitting tights down her legs. In disgust, she tossed them to somewhere in the room and dashed to her chest of draws.

It was as she stood in front of her chest of draws, wearing only her underwear, she caught a glimpse of herself in the full body mirror. Fleetingly her thoughts hushed, seeing the small evident bump. Belle turned to face the mirror and then turned back to see herself sideways in the mirror. Her once flat stomach was gently protruding. Belle smiled ghosting her hand over her stomach, caressing the very small bump.

Suddenly, she remembered Rumald's expectant arrival and jumped into action, and over to her chest of draws to dig through her draws. Shutting the draw soundly, she muttered to herself about Ruby taking her shopping and whipped off her bra and panties, which joined her other discarded clothes on the floor. Belle marched from their bedroom into their bathroom and grabbed her silk dressing gown from the back of the door. In one fluid movement, she had fed her arms into it and wrapped it around herself, tying it close around her waist, and headed out of their bedroom to go back downstairs.

Her bare feet padded on the wooden stairs as Belle quickly made her way downstairs, wanting to greet him when he came through the door. She knew he would not be much longer, eyeing the grandfather's clock as she stepped off the last step of the stairs. Knowing he would only be another five minutes, Belle trotted through into the kitchen and yanked open the fridge door. Without even looking, she grabbed a bottle water from their shelf in the fridge and twisted the lid off to drink from it. The anticipation and excitement were making her too hot. She gulped another mouthful of water down, when her eyes settled on the can of whip cream. Holding her bottle of water in one hand, Belle reached into the fridge and picked up the can of whip cream, and inspected it.

The front door opened. Hastily Belle placed the can back into the fridge and slammed the fridge shut, twirling round to watch Rumald and Gladius enter the house. Puzzled she stood in front of the fridge and returned the wave of 'hello' Gladius gave her.

"Rumald, I never ask anything of you." Gladius proclaimed to him, while his back was to her, removing his overcoat to hang on a peg.

Rumald scoffed and bent over to pick up Belle's coat to hang on a peg. "You're always asking me to do things for you."

"I've never asked you to come to one of my events before!" She poked him, causing Rumald to jolt round to face her.

"Yes, you have!" He threw back at her, pointing his finger at her. Gladius gave Rumald 'the look'. Her arms crossed over her chest, the pout, the slight angle of her head. He seemed unaffected by the look, but Belle knew 'the look'. It was a look only a mother could give a child. The expectant look, knowing their child would cave and do what they had been asked to do. However, Rumald knitted his brow together, questioning the look Gladius was giving him. It was probably due to the fact that he never had a mother figure growing up, that Rumald had a natural defence against it.

"Look, I've told you," Rumald gestured with his hand in Belle's direction. "If Belle wants to go, then I'll go just because she wants to go."

Gladius's smile was sickly wide as she pivoted round to face Belle. "Belle?"

"Yes?" Belle uttered, standing innocently in the kitchen.

"You want to come to my Christmas dance, don't you?" Gladius asked and added. "Everyone in Storybrooke is going to be there. Big town affair. You'll come, won't you?"

Belle looked to Rumald, who was stood out of Gladius view removing his suit jacket. "Erm…"

"I know you'll help me get this one to come." Gladius hooked her thumb in Rumald's direction.

"Everyone?" Belle inquired, inwardly grumbling about the looks Rumald would receive.

"Yes." Gladius replied with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

Shrugging her shoulders and not seeing a reason why not, Belle said. "Okay."

Gladius clapped her hands excitedly together. "Oh, wonderful! I'll get some rooms made up for you both and Albert. Oh, it's going to be glorious this year!" She declared and turned to face Rumald, cupping his face between her hands. "Both my boys!" Gladius sidestepped to the front door. "So much planning! So much to do…!"

Without a farewell, Gladius yanked opened the front door and left. Rumald shook his head in disbelief and crossed to the front door. A firm click confirmed the front door was locked. Belle drank from her bottle of water and twisted the lid back on it, while Rumald sauntered from the entrance hall into the kitchen, unbuttoning his waistcoat to leave open.

"What was that about?" Belle asked putting the bottle of water onto the kitchen island.

Rumald's eyes rolled at the question. "She has been dying for years for me to come to one of these dances. Normally, I would drop Albert off and either disappear to my old room or come back here."

Lines formed on Belle's forehead as she questioned. "Old room?"

"When I moved over here," Rumald began to tell her, standing very close to her, and ran his finger down one edge of her gown to the tie around her waist. "Walter wouldn't let me stay in the house. So, I was given the living quarters above the garage that the chauffeur normally resided in."

"Why couldn't you stay in the house?" She asked distracted, her gaze on his fingers working her gown tie loose.

"Didn't want any further indiscretions." He hooked the tie for her gown with his finger and pulled it, loosening her gown. She gulped at the want she could see in Rumald's eyes, while he purposefully opened one half of her gown and then the other, revealing her nakedness to him. Her breathing quickened as his eyes ravished over her body, following the natural path down between her breasts, down to her naval and further.

Watching his gaze travel back up her body, Belle reached out and placed her hand on his cheek, caressing his skin with her thumb. "I love how you look at me. It's like it's the first time every time."

Rumald smiled and used the edges of her gown to tug her towards him, and slipped his arms under her gown and around her. "That's because I'm still amazed that you want me."

"Always." She told him, slipping her hand to the back of his head, and kissed him. Without breaking their kiss, Rumald dipped and grabbed at the back of her legs, lifting her effortlessly off the floor into a straddling position. Her fingers ran through his soft hair, tugging and yanking the small tuffs she liked to played with, while Rumald walked them out of the kitchen and up the stairs using only the map inside his head for guidance.


	103. Chapter 103

Belle crooked her upper lip and sucked the air in through the gap making a squeaking noise, whilst she read through the assignment Jenny Hopkins was hoping to hand in to her teacher after the Christmas holiday. The points were valid, but lack the evidence to back it up. With a red pen, Belle wrote suggestions down the margin of page, suggesting books, which could help support Jenny's argument. She turned the page and glanced at the clock in her office. It was late. She was late. The whole point of staying behind after the library had closed that Saturday afternoon was working, except Belle was getting lost completely in her work. Too lost it seemed to notice the time.

As she read through the last page of Jenny's assignment, Belle was glad she had gone shopping during the week with the girls and bought her dress for the dance. Getting out with the girls had been a nice change. Most of the time they would meet for lunch or drinks at the Rabbit Hole, so the chance to get out of Storybrooke and plunder the mall for their outfits had been fun. Mary-Margaret had tried to keep them all focus on why they were there. Throwing instructions at each of them. Directing them about the stores. Ashley had simply done as she was told, apart from the odd times Ruby had managed to whisper suggestions to her and had kidnapped Ashley off to the lingerie store. Belle had grinned watching Mary-Margaret march the pair out of the store, dragging them by the crook of their elbows, reprimanding them in her motherly tone.

Finishing the last line of the assignment, Belle breathed out heavily and put the assignment to one side on her desk. Most of the assignments were always the same. They always had a fine argument for the essay question, just never enough literature evidence to back it up or they used Wikipedia as their main source.

Belle rolled her chair back from her desk, her eyes shot to the clock as she stood up and walked around her desk to claim her bag from one of the chairs and her dress from the back of the door. The dance had started half an hour ago. Rumald had rung forty-five minutes ago, reminding her not to be late. She was surprised she had not received more phone calls. A desperate plead to rescue him, so he did not have to fend off the rabble all on his own. She could not help herself as she left her office turning off the lights, grinning at the thought of Rumald surrounded by all his tenants. 'How he loved his tenants', she said mentally to herself.

The elevator took her from the library to her old apartment. It had been some time since she had last been in there. She fished the keys out of her bag and unlocked the door, opening it with a creek, and entered the apartment. Most of the apartment was dark with the exception of the street lights pouring in through the windows, which looked out onto Main Street. Belle knocked the door closed with her elbow before ambling across the apartment into the bathroom.

The light switch clicked, flooding the bathroom in bright light. It took a blink or two to adjust to the lighting, but it did not persuade Belle from hanging her dress on the door and dumping her bag on top of the close lid to the toilet. The apartment was unnaturally quiet as she undressed, unnerving her slightly. The small hairs on the back of her neck were slightly on edge, her fight or flight instinct partly alerted. Even though, Belle knew no one else was there and the library was locked up tight below, she could not shake the feeling that she was being watched whilst she unhooked her bra and discarded it to the pile on the floor. She studied the darkness of the apartment through the doorway of the bathroom, pulling down her panties to toss to the pile, and rummaged in her bag for her clean underwear.

With the matching set on, Belle dug through her bag and found her deodorant and perfume at the bottom. A quick spray under each arm of deodorant and she tossed it back into her bag. Leisurely she squirted her perfume on her neck, the valley of her breasts and wrists. The perfume was put back into her bag as she rubbed her wrists together, evenly spreading the perfume. Turning her wrist to her nose, she smelled the divine perfume Rumald had bought her. She closed her eyes to the smell, her nose lingering close to her wrist, enjoying the sweet smell he had chosen for her.

Happily sighing, she unhooked her dress from its hanger and unzipped the dress. An arm at a time, she fed into the dress, shimming the fabric down her body until her straps captured her shoulders. Her hands smoothed the dress out, working the fabric down the length of her body, and tugged gently at the hem of her dress just above her knee. As Ruby had said, when Belle had stepped out from the changing cubicle, 'Snug as a bug'. The dress fitted her as if it was made for her and was not too tight over her small bump. Smiling softly at her small bump, Belle ghosted her hand over it, tempted to dig the photograph out of her bag again for the hundredth time that day. She was starting to think Rumald's idea of snapping a picture with his phone was probably a good idea, seeing as the edges of her picture were already becoming tatty with the amount of times she had handled it or had shown it to other people.

The zip of her dress easily travelled up her body, securing her into her dress, before she fished her makeup bag out of her bag. After freshening up her makeup, Belle put the makeup bag back in her bag and claimed the flat shoes she was going to wear with her dress out of her bag. She missed her heels, missed the height, but it was not worth the ache in her feet and legs, even if Rumald was happy to rub all her aches for her. Belle grinned mischievously feeding her feet into her flats and bent down to gather her clothes, stuffing them into her bag. Collecting her bag, Belle removed the clip holding her long curls up and shook them out, cascading them down to cover her shoulders. A check in the mirror, a pucker of her lips at her mirror self, and Belle was off, happy with how she looked for the evening.

When she left the library, locking it up for the night, she noticed the streets were quiet. Normally that time of night, people were making their way to their favourite bar for the night. Seemed Gladius's dance was quite a thing to the residents of Storybrooke. Free booze, free food – Who could say no to that?

The drive felt as if it took forever, even with hardly any traffic on the roads. The main gates had been left wide open, welcoming everyone into the grounds of Gladius's home. The darkness was broken up by the bright flood lights either side of the drive, lighting the way for everyone. The mansion was unusually bright, beaming through the wall of trees like a lighthouse. She could hear the music blaring out of the mansion as she pulled up into a space, abandoning her car, with the other cars that littered the front of Gladius's. Climbing out of her car, Belle gazed up at the mansion and then to the groups of people, who were lingering outside smoking or wandering as they chatted. It reminded her of the frat parties at college, but much more dignified. Especially with no toilet rolls acting as outdoor decoration.

Tiredness swept over her as she strolled to the mansion from her car. Missing the party and crawling into bed seemed a very good idea, but Belle shook the fantasy away as she trudged up the steps to enter the mansion, excusing herself through the group loitering near the warmth emanating from the foyer, whilst they smoked huddled together. Belle glanced over her shoulder at them, glad she never took up the habit, and wandered into the foyer.

The mansion was alive with the music blaring from anywhere and everywhere, accompanied by the loud din of chatter. She had never seen Gladius's home so full of people before. Normally, they would only meet at Gladius's for family occasions or the random family dinner. A strong smile pushed back Belle's cheeks, revealing the hint of crow's feet by her eyes. The idea of family a year ago to Belle, was her father. A prison, which kept her from the one thing she prided herself with – independence. Now she knew, family did not have to be cage. Family could be liberating, especially the family that had held their arms open to her, offering comfort and support no matter what. But then, a small part of her, obviously, missed her father. Missed the reminder of her mother.

Smoothing her hands down her dress, Belle excused herself through the hordes of people, scanning the faces for Rumald, Albert, Gladius or anyone familiar. She could have sworn as she apologised for bumping into someone that the whole of Storybrooke was in Gladius's home. The expansive home suddenly felt very small.

She managed to make it through the dining room and into the ballroom, where the music grew the loudest. Her eyes widened at the sight of the room. Fairy lights decorated the railing on the first floor and from each corner, a line of fairy lights danced through the air, secured onto the delicate chandelier. The room felt magical. She half expected to see fairies flittering about the room, granting everyone's wishes. The doors leading to the patio were wide open, but instead of leading to the patio, led to a marque that had been setup outside, extending the dancefloor.

"Belle!" A voice called to her. Twisting her upper body in the direction of the voice, she saw the girls camping at a high table in the corner of the room. Ruby waved her arm just in case Belle had not heard her. The girls looked on expectantly, hoping for Belle to come over and join them. Like a moth to a flame, Belle shuffled through the crowd to them, excusing herself with a smile as she made her way to her friends.

"Belle!" Ruby exclaimed again, when Belle was closer and threw her arms around her friend. "What took you so long?"

The two disentangled themselves from each other and Belle replied, whilst she quickly hugged Mary-Margaret and Ashley. "Got lost in some paperwork."

"That's why, when I leave work, I leave work at the school. Otherwise, I'd spend all my evenings doing work and not being paid to do it." Mary-Margaret commented, drinking from her drink as she spoke.

Ashley grinned. "I don't have that problem. Work finishes as soon as the parents come and collect their child."

"If Granny had her way, I would work twenty-four seven." Ruby knocked back her drink. "Love a free bar. Drinks, girls?"

They all responded with a 'yes' or an 'okay' before Ruby merrily merged into the crowd, heading in the direction of the bar. Belle leant her weight partly onto the high table with her forearms, her gaze drifting over the crowd.

Ashley touched her shoulder, drawing Belle's attention momentarily. "I think Al's in the marque with Emma."

"Rumald?" Belle asked over her shoulder, still searching the crowd.

"Haven't seen him." Ashley said removing her hand from Belle's shoulder and said beside Belle. "Have you?"

"What?" Mary-Margaret shifted closer to Ashley. The three of them were huddled to one side of the table, unable to hear one another with the music blaring.

"Have you seen Rumald?" Ashley asked, passing Belle's inquiry on.

Mary-Margaret's forehead creased in thought as she stood to her full height, joining Belle in her search of the room. "I saw him when David and I arrived. He was chatting to Mrs Johnson over there." She pointed to the opposite side of the room. "But haven't seen him since then."

"I'm sure he'll turn up soon." Ashley said reassuringly, touching Belle's right forearm on the table.

"Drinks!" Ruby announced emerging from the crowd with a tray of drinks in her hands. The tray slid easily onto the table. Mary-Margaret and Ashley, both claimed their drinks, as Ruby handed a glass to Belle.

"Got you a coke." She informed her, but raised an eyebrow at seeing Belle search the crowd. "What's the matter?"

Belle flashed a smile at her friend and gave up her search for Rumald, turning her attention to the table as she said. "Was just looking for Rumald."

"Oh," Ruby glanced round. "I saw him earlier when I arrived. He was chatting to Mrs Johnson."

"Yeah, Mary-Margaret said that too." Belle gestured to Mary-Margaret and sipped from her glass of coke.

"Why don't you call him?" Ashley asked posing the straw for her drink by her lips.

Shrugging her shoulders, Belle replied with. "I would, but I've left my phone in the car. It's alright. He'll turn up."

Mary-Margaret extending one of her fingers on the hand holding her glass, in the direction of the marque. "Maybe he's in there."

"Come on." Ruby nodded her head towards the marque. "Let's go find your man."

"No, no. It's fine. He'll turn up." Belle waved her hand at Ruby's offer; her eyes roamed the crowded dancefloor.

Ashley slurped on the straw of her drink and said. "It would be fine, if you didn't keep looking for him. Belle, just go and find him."

"Yeah, come on." Ruby tugged at Belle's elbow, placing her drink on the high table. Grudgingly Belle rolled her eyes and followed Ruby, leaving her drink in Ashley and Mary-Margaret's care. Ruby held on to her tightly, not wanting to lose her in the crowd as they moved to the doors leading to the marque.

The fairy light decorations carried on through into the marque, draping from post to post, mood lighting the marque. There was more space in the marque. The squeeze to get through the crowd eased and so did Ruby's hold on her elbow. They both looked expectantly, tiptoeing slightly to see above the crowd. As her eyes darted from face to face, Belle soon spotted Albert and Emma dancing together. Touching Ruby to gain her interest, Belle motioned towards where Albert and Emma were and headed through the dancing couples to them. Her hand reached to Albert and laid on his shoulder, causing him to twist to see her over his shoulder. Both Emma and him smiled at her.

"Hey, Belle!" Albert said loud enough for her to hear him.

Belle leaned into him. "Have you seen your father?"

Emma contorted herself in Albert's arms to see somewhere behind her as she said. "I think I saw him talking to Mr Hatter."

"Where?" Belle asked, trying to follow the direction of Emma's gaze.

"He was over there. Probably about five… ten minutes ago." Emma indicated a far corner of the marque.

"Okay." Without thinking about it, Belle kissed Albert on the cheek and wished them both a good time as she dragged Ruby along with her, heading through the throng of people to Rumald's last known location. Ruby held on tightly to Belle's elbow, cursing anyone who threatened to bump into them. She grinned amused by Ruby.

Exiting from the mass of dancing people, Belle raised her eyebrows at the line of tables encircling the dancefloor. The space was mostly vacant as the majority were all on the dancefloor or inside of the mansion. A few people were trying to have hopeless conversations, huddled close together. Placing her hands on her hips, she swept her eyes over the faces, contorting her lips as her eyes travelled from one side of the marque to the other. When she reached the other corner, she could see a few men were sat round a table and ambled over to them. Belle knew Rumald was not one of them. However, a hunch drew her closer and when she was near enough, she could see that the men were playing poker.

She stopped and crossed her arms over her chest, glancing over her shoulder when she felt someone brush by her to see Ruby beside her. The men were oblivious to them with one of them tossing some dollar bills into the middle of the table, while another man tossed his cards towards the dealer. One of the men was Leroy, his concentration evident as his eyes darted from the two cards he held in his hand to the four cards lying on their backs on the table.

"Evening ladies." A male voice greeted. They looked to the voice to find a well-dressed man stood nearby.

"Jefferson, have you seen Rumald?" Ruby asked moving around Belle to stand between Belle and Jefferson.

His brow hunched down over his eyes. "I think he's split."

"Split?" Belle looked alarmed. "He's gone home?"

"I think so. It's not really his scene." Jefferson waved his arm to gesture to everything around them.

"God sake." Belle grumbled twirling round to search the sea of faces, hoping Jefferson was wrong.

"Why? What's wrong?" Jefferson asked with his concern evident in his voice.

Ruby shook her head and gestured to Belle. "There's nothing wrong. Belle's just looking for him, that's all."

"Belle?" Jefferson took her in, examining her from head to toe with his eyes. She looked at Jefferson when he questioned her name, his eyes were directed down to her legs.

"He does have good taste." He mumbled with the corner of his lips quirking into a grin.

"How long ago did he leave?" Ruby asked bending her head into the path of Jefferson's gaze, blocking his view of Belle's legs.

His head jerked backwards as he switched the direction of his gaze to Ruby. "I wouldn't say that long ago. You've probably passed by him as he's left the marque."

Growling at her annoyance, Belle stormed off back to mansion doors to enter the ballroom and carried on through it, hurriedly heading to the front door hoping to catch Rumald. She could hear Ruby was close behind her, excusing herself and cursing the rude as she tried to keep up with Belle. Her step did not slow until she had stepped out onto the porch of the mansion and stopped to scan the cars for Rumald's Cadillac. Inwardly, Belle cursed herself, the darkness, the fact he had a black car and Rumald, himself.

Her head shook negatively from side to side, whilst she examined each car in turn that she could see. Questions ran through her head. 'Why could he not have been more patient?' 'Why did he have to leave?' 'Couldn't he just have called more?' An exasperated breath left her.

"I'm surprised you're not enjoying the festivities, love."

Whipping her head round to the voice, Belle sighed deflating her shoulders at the sight of Killian. She knew it had nothing to do with her, but she felt guilty for Rumald kicking them out of their house. The whole situation would not have happened, if she had only been honest with him, when they had been in New York.

"You haven't seen Rumald, Kill?" Ruby inquired from the other side of Belle.

Killian smiled, revealing his white teeth, and said. "You looking for him, are you?"

"I haven't seen him yet." Belle supplied, angling her head to the side as she spoke.

"You may be in luck then, love." His hand moved to motion back into the mansion. "He's in Gladius's study."

"Really?" Belle straightened, beaming a smile at Killian.

Killian, ever so slightly, nodded his head. "Yeah."

Whipping round to her friend, Belle's hand shot out to squeeze Ruby's arm. "Thank you, Rubes. I'll just go and say hello, and meet you back with the girls?"

"Sure." Ruby smiled and left Belle and Killian on the porch, ambling back to the ballroom.

Offering the crook of his arm to Belle, Killian said. "I'll walk you, if you don't mind, love?"

"Course not." Belle hooked her arm around Killian's offered arm. He smiled that devilish smile, which most women probably swooned over, and set off back into the mansion. She tried to keep a pleasant look on her face, forcing her smile while her stomach turned over at the smell of Killian's aftershave. As they were climbing the stairs, Belle tried to work out whether she was going to throw up from the smell of his aftershave. She swallowed hard, trying to settle her stomach.

Gladius's study was not far from the first-floor landing. Nearing the door, Belle unhooked her arm from Killian and quickened her step to enter the room first, and to get some distance between herself and Killian's aftershave.

In a flourish, she entered the study. "Rumald!"

She was a couple of steps into the room, when she realised Rumald was not there. Rolling her eyes, she cursed whatever fate was keeping her from Rumald and placed her hands on her hips. She shook her head. All she had thought about all day was dancing with Rumald. To be held in protective embrace and to show Storybrooke, there was a softer side to the strict landlord. She wanted to see it in his eyes as they moved together as well, the longing and loving he held in his eyes for her. The longer the hunt for him went on, the more her chance of getting what she wanted dwindled.

The door clicked shut behind her.

At the sound of the door closing, Belle pivoted round to find Killian leant up against the doorframe of the door, blocking the door from being open, arms crossed over his chest with a look of intent on his face. Squinting her eyes at him, she took in his new demeanour. Belle had never had any cause to be alarmed by Killian, but the look he was giving her made the little hairs on the back of her neck stand on their ends. She had always felt sorry for him, the puppy trailing after Milah, doing her bidding no matter what. How he was able to stand by her, Belle could never understand. The endurance of his love for the woman, who did nothing but think of herself and no one else, amazed Belle. But the man, who stood before her, was not the man she was accustom to dealing with.

"He was never here, was he?" She asked astutely.

"No." Killian's reply was short.

Belle turned her head slightly. "I take it that you don't know where he is?"

"Oh, he's probably still here somewhere." Killian unfolded his arm to circle his hand through the air. "Lingers like a bad smell that man."

"What do you want, Killian?" She asked with an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach.

"Retribution would be nice." He stated and pouted his bottom lip, nodding in agreement with his own statement.

"Retribution?" She questioned pushing her brow up her forehead.

Killian pushed himself forward from the doorframe unfolding his arm and casually sauntered away from the doorway. "You know, he couldn't even face us when he evicted us. Sent his minion to do his bidding."

"Killian, that had nothing to do with me." Belle informed him crossing her arms over chest, shifting her stance to push her right hip out.

His finger pointed at her, bobbing it up and down, as he said. "Ever since you came onto the scene, he's caused nothing but trouble."

Belle raised an eyebrow at his accusation. "I think you'll find that it's Milah, who has caused all this trouble. Since you came back to Storybrooke, Milah's caused the trouble."

"You're just so naïve." Killian told her ambling by her, his aftershave wafted towards her and Belle swallowed hard, fighting the urge to throw up on Gladius's rug. "You don't even know him."

"Excuse me?" She whipped round to face him, her voice raising an octave. Belle was met by his grin.

"He didn't fight for her, ya know?" His eyes followed a stray piece of her hair. "Too much of coward to do more."

Conscious of where his eyes were travelling, Belle hooked the stray piece of hair behind her ear and turned to put some space between them, saying. "He's not a coward."

"No, course he's not, love." Killian chuckled. "That's why he has his errand boy, who does anything he's not man enough to do himself."

"What is it that you want, Killian? Because I'm tiring of this conversation." She threw at him over her shoulder, clenching her hands into fists.

Like a snake, his arm circled her and grabbed her face forcefully, twisting her head to see him stood beside her. "He does have such good taste in women."

In one movement, Belle smacked his arm away and jumped a step back from him. "Don't even think about touching me."

"He shouldn't have thought of throwing my family out of our home." He stated stepping closer to her.

Belle took a step back to keep the space. "I don't condone what he did to you and Milah, Killian."

The space between them grew smaller with Killian taking another step, saying. "She doesn't want to talk to me anymore. Threw me out of the motel room, because of him."

"What?" Belle furrowed her brow at him, stepping back again to counteract his step.

"Seems love isn't enough." With Killian taking another step as he spoke, Belle stepped back again only to find the back of her legs bump into Gladius's large mahogany desk. "Told me, she would get him back, now his father has cut her off." He informed her closing the gap between them.

"Even if he wasn't with me, he'd never go back to her." Belle unknowingly puffed her chest out at him, an animal instinct told her to make herself appear bigger, as the distance between them became less than a foot.

Killian's head lulled to the side, while his eyes roamed down her body. "She always gets what she wants."

"So, what're you thinking?" Belle gestured wildly with her hands in the space left between them, hoping her floundering hands would be enough to keep him at bay. "If you hurt me, then she'll take you back?"

"She'll come back to me, when she's bored with him like last time. No, I'm thinking more…" His eyes travelled up to meet her gaze. "I'd throw the first punch this time."

"What-?" She began to ask, when suddenly she was fighting to keep him from grabbing hold of her face. A desperate moan or two escaped her as she blocked and fought with him. Her mind raced with the possibilities, while she tried to shove him away from herself. She kicked at his shin and slapped at his face, leaving red raw marks on his face and neck, and anywhere else she happened to land a slap or clawed at his skin. Raising her knee swiftly, Belle connected directing with Killian's groin having the desired effect as he stumbled backwards away from her.

She braced herself on the edge of the desk, eyes wide, watching Killian closely, while he held himself up on the armchair sat near Gladius's desk. His breaths and groans were deep. Her own chest heaved as well, sucking in as much breath as she could mustard.

"I always enjoy the chase." He wheezed forcing himself to stand up straight.

"Killian, you don't have to do this." Belle pleaded clutching the edge of the desk, turning her knuckles white.

Killian's eyes were dark as he looked at her with hooded eyes, grinning sickly at her. Never had she imagine Killian could be like this. A few times, she had thought Killian was as much as victim in all this as Rumald and Albert, but she realised with him stood in front of her that he was just as back as Milah.

"I'm going to really enjoy this." He said before launching himself at her. Holding her hands up ready to defend herself, she was barely aware of the door opening to Gladius's study. Killian though, had not missed the sound of the door opening and had stopped, just short, of being in Belle's face, quickly moving to put space between them.

"That's what he said." Ruby said coming into the room behind Rumald as he opened the door wide enough for both of them. "Said you were in here."

"I haven't even seen…" His words trailed off as he took in the scene. The sight of him melted her. Her saviour had arrived.

Even with the gravity of the situation, her hormonal mind wandered off in its own direction, leading her body astray as a heat ignited between her thighs. He looked much like he had that morning, dressed in one of his many three-piece suits with the exception being he had changed his shirt and removed his tie. His bare chest peeked through the gap in his shirt, daring her to touch it. Belle gripped the edge of the desk again. To the outside world, it would have looked as if she needed the support, however it was the only thing keeping her grounded and from assaulting Rumald.

"What's going on?" Rumald asked with a hint of sternness in his voice. His hand had been resting on the doorknob, but slipped off the smooth metal knob when he purposefully walked in Killian's direction, his eyes fixed on him.

She could not find her voice to answer him. Bowing her head and closing her eyes, Belle breathed in deeply, catching her breath and trying to calm the heavy beating of her heart. The beat of her heart pounded in her ears. Belle looked up though, feeling a pair of hands on her, and opened her eyes to see Ruby close at her side, touching random places on Belle's neck and face. It was not until Ruby's fingertips touched a certain part of her cheek that Belle hissed at the pain. In the fury of blocking Killian's advances, she had missed the times he had caught her cheek and neck.

"I'm going to ask you again," Rumald's voice was darker. "What the hell's going on in here?"

Killian smirked and gesticulated his hand in the direction of the open door. "Whatever it was, no doubt you'll get your servant to deal with it."

The scarred eyebrow on Rumald's forehead lifted as he neared Killian and pointed at Belle. "Did you touch her?"

"Touch her? No, no." Killian twisted at his waist to look at Belle and then turned back to Rumald saying. "Not yet, anyway."

"What?" Rumald growled halting to a stop in front of Killian.

Ruby leaned into Belle and asked. "Are you okay?"

"Could do with a drink, if I wasn't pregnant, but yeah, I'm okay." Belle told her, taking hold of Ruby's left forearm for support.

"All you do is take!" Killian accused, stabbing his finger near Rumald's face.

Rumald scoffed. "Ooh… That's rich coming from you," He closed the gap, bringing their faces mere inches from one another. "Dearie."

"You've taken my home, my life… My family." Killian seethed squaring up to Rumald.

"Maybe, you should have paid your rent then." Rumald told him, his eyes locked with Killian's.

"Rumald." Belle called to him, wanting it all to end, so she could lose herself in his embrace. He did not look at her. Did not show any sign of hearing her, his whole attention on Killian as he starred daggers at the younger man.

Killian jabbed his finger into Rumald's chest, which Rumald swatted away, as Killian said. "I'll get her back, ya know? She's meant to be with me. She loves me!"

Rumald's forehead scrunched down over his eyes and allowed his eyes for a second to flash to Belle. "What? Belle?"

"No!" Killian roared at Rumald. "Milah!"

"Milah?" Rumald confusedly inquired.

"Yes! Milah!" Killian clarified, his anger evident in his voice.

Chuckling and shaking his head, Rumald backed a step or two from Killian, telling him. "You're welcome to Milah. I don't want her." He pointed his finger at Killian. "You're crazy!"

"Don't mock me, mate. You know, as well as I do, when she wants something, she gets it." Killian threw at Rumald, placing his hands on top of his hips.

Rumald pursed his lips into a thin line and waltzed back to stand in front of Killian, and said. "I am not your mate, dearie. I tolerate your presence for Gladius. If I had my way, I would've ripped your heart out and crushed it in front of Milah. But then… She probably wouldn't have cared."

He waved a dismissive hand at Killian and strolled by him, heading to Belle and Ruby. With his face contorted in anger, Killian whirled round and grabbed Rumald by his shoulder and yanked him backwards, turning him in one fluid movement. His fist was raised, ready to hit Rumald square in the face, when the older man had fully turned to face him. Rumald must have foresaw what was going to happen, because as he spun round to face Killian, he thrusted his fist into Killian stomach. The wind was knocked out of Killian, folding the younger man in half. Like a boxer, Rumald bounced on his toes, posed ready for the next attack as he watched Killian drop down to his knees clutching at his stomach.

"Rumald!" Belle called with a small amount of urgency in her voice. His head whipped round to look at her. She pleaded with him, just with her eyes, projecting her longing for him to hold her. The expression on his face softened and his stance relaxed.

Leaving Killian on the floor gasping for air, Rumald shuffled the few steps over to her and hauled her into his arms, cradling her head into his chest. Being held by his warmth, in the security of his arms, Belle broke out into sobs clutching at the lapels of his suit jacket. Quietly he shushed her sobs, stroking his hand down the back of her head. There was a whispered question of 'are you okay?', but she refused to answer. She held onto him like it was their last hug, anxious it would be the last time he hold her, if he knew she was alright. He lightly kissed her left temple and left his lips to linger by her skin, breathing into her hair.

"You ought to leave." Ruby said somewhere behind Rumald before there was a cry and Ruby added. "Asap!"

Angling himself with his arms firmly wrapped around Belle, allowed Belle to be able to see Ruby treading the heel of her shoe into the back of Killian's hand. Killian glared up from the floor, clasping her foot to pull off his hand or to alleviate some of the pressure. Neither Belle or Rumald made a more to help him, just stood and watched Ruby hurt him.

"Okay!" He cried hissing at the pain.

"Go!" Ruby ordered pointing to the door and lifted her foot from his hand. Hugging his hand to his chest, Killian stood glaring at the three of them, lingering a second, and then stomped out of the room.

With him gone and feeling safer, Belle snuggled her face back into Rumald's chest and pulled at the lapels of his suit jacket, encouraging him to close the non-existent gap between them. She wanted him as close as she could get him. Whether that meant absorbing him or melting into one, Belle did not care. She needed him. She needed to feel his strength and warmth, ease away her worry as her thoughts plagued her with scenarios where Killian had gotten his way and harm her and their baby. Feeling she needed more from him, Rumald tightened his hold around her and whispered he had her and that she was alright. Another hand rubbed circles on her upper back, another soothing warmth. And then there was another hand touching her, offering comfort, while there was a conversation, which Belle could not hear. Did not want to hear. Choosing to become deaf as she lost herself in Rumald's embrace.


	104. Chapter 104

"I think that's the last of it." Ruby said, gently padding and rubbing foundation onto the various marks, Killian had left on her face and neck. Breathing in deeply through her nose, Belle nodded her head in thanks and briefly smiled at her friend. As Ruby turned back to the large array of makeup scattered about the bathroom sink, Belle closed her eyes and mentally kicked herself again for the millionth time.

Sitting in the bathroom with Ruby tidying the makeup away, Belle hated herself. She hated how she had been so naïve to follow Killian up to Gladius's study. She hated how she had not seen the other side of him, the darker side. She hated how, even as Ruby was applying the makeup to her face, she was making excuses for Killian and was choosing to forgive and forget. It was as Ruby was zipping up the makeup bag, Belle wished she was a lot more like Rumald when it came to this sort of thing. Able to hold a grudge, biding his time to have his revenge. She let out a long sigh, knowing she could never be like that. That side of him only darkened his heart and she did not want that for herself, and he would not want that for her as well. He would rather take the darkness for her.

She smiled at her thoughts, straightening herself from where she had leant against the counter of the sink. Pivoting round, Belle inspected her friend's handiwork, turning her face from side to side, angling her chin to see the nape of her neck. To the untrained eye, no one would notice. Knowing where the marks had been, Belle could still see the remnants of them. She could not have done any better and was grateful for the care Ruby had taken to make sure they were covered and that she did not hurt Belle anymore than she had needed.

"I would never have thought Killian would do that." Ruby said turning to face Belle, holding the makeup bag in her hand.

Belle smoothed her hand down her dress, avoiding Ruby's gaze. "It just shows you never really know somebody."

Ruby reached out and grasped at Belle's upper arm, jolting Belle to look up from her dress to Ruby. "Are you sure, you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Belle smiled and lifted her arm to touch Ruby's forearm.

"I'm really surprised." Ruby began to say, letting her hand slip down Belle's arm until her friend was lightly holding her hand. "I thought Rumald would've lost it with Killian. I know I would have, if it had been me."

Smiling Belle clenched her fingers around Ruby's, saying. "I'm so grateful to have people around me, who care about me."

Ruby returned Belle's smile, but shook her head tugging at Belle's hand to follow her to the bathroom door. "Don't start getting mushy. I'm not doing your makeup again."

Following her friend's lead, they momentarily paused while Ruby opened the bathroom door. Belle touched Ruby's shoulder, squeezing Ruby's hand she was holding, and leaned into Ruby to place a fleeting kiss on her friend's cheek, surprising Ruby as she turned her head to meet her cheek with Belle's lips.

"Thank you, Ruby." Belle stated honestly, her hand lingered on Ruby's shoulder. Ruby's cheeks became tinted with a red glow before Ruby nodded her head in acknowledgement. Taking the lead once more, Ruby led them out of the bathroom into guest bedroom and through that into the hallway.

Once through the door to the guest bedroom, the music from downstairs grew louder, dancing through the air without a care. Belle closed the door behind them, losing it without stopping, and walked side by side with Ruby down the long hallway. At the end of the hallway, Belle could see there was a group of people lingering on the landing, possibly waiting for her or organising their own lynch mob. The nearer they got to the group, the easier she could pick out the members of the group – Gladius, Mary-Margaret, David, Sheriff Graham, Albert, Emma and Rumald. Everyone was huddled close together, while Rumald lingered back slightly, segregating himself from the group to lazily lean on rail of the banister behind him. The sight of him drew her attention more than it usually did. His head was hung low, his gaze casted down to the toes of his shoes, while his fingers played aimlessly with the ring on his right hand, twirling moonstone ring around his finger.

"Belle!" Albert exclaimed leaving the group to jog up to her and gathered her up into his arms, squeezing his arms around her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Bae." She told him, wrapping her arms around him. The group had turned to look in their direction, their eyes full of unwanted concern. Rumald remained the same with his gaze fixed to the floor, chasing his ring around his finger. She had never known him to do that before.

Albert leant back in their embrace to see Belle's face. "I wish I had the chance to punch him in the face."

"Bae," Belle cupped his face with her hands. "Don't talk like that. That isn't you. Now," Her thumb stroked over his cheek as she spoke. "I want you and Emma to get back to the party and enjoy yourselves."

"I want to be here with you." Albert said staring straight into her eyes, revealing all his concern for her in that one simple look.

A smile spread her lips and she leant into him to press a kiss to his forehead. "Go back to the party. I'll be down shortly, I promise."

"Really? You sure?" He questioned quirking his head on an angle. "Dad said he's taking you home."

"I'm not going home. We've got a party to attend." She said lightly rubbing her thumb along his jawline. His bafflement was written over his face, but he did not question it further, instead he pulled her closer and embraced her once more. Though she loved the care he was giving her, her concern was centred on the man, who was yet to raise his eyes from the floor and who everyone else seemed to not notice.

Untangling herself from Albert, she kept an arm around his lower back and guided him down the hallway to join the group. He nestled close into her side, his own arm mirroring her own. It would have been a nice moment between them, if the gloom of early events were not looming over her. And they looked to be looming over Rumald as well, she noted the nearer they got to the group, her eyes studied him, brooding over his own troubled thoughts. It worried her how he had not looked up from his feet, finding whatever he was spying more interesting than noting her presence.

They naturally came to a stop within an arm's reach of the group and lingered close together. Her eyes never wavered from Rumald. She wanted to call out to him, to bring him back to her, but she was scared she would not be heard over the thoughts inside his head.

"I can assure you, Miss Lucas, I will be keeping an eye out for Mr Jones." The sheriff promised taking the look Ruby was giving him with ease.

Ruby titled her head, peeping at the young sheriff with a hooded glare. "You better, otherwise I'll show him some other uses for the heel of my shoe."

"I didn't hear you say that, Miss Lucas." Sheriff Graham turned to face Gladius. "I'll check the grounds before I go, make sure Mr Jones has left the property."

"Thank you, Sheriff Graham." Gladius said gesturing to the stairs and walked with him as she said. "Let me get you some food from the kitchen. I'm sure you're starving, Sheriff."

The Sheriff smiled at Gladius as they descended the stairs together. "That would be much appreciated, Mrs Johnson."

"I know what I would do with him, if I got my hands on him." David commented to the group, bringing the attention back to within the group from Gladius and Sheriff Graham.

"Sheriff Graham will take care of it now." Mary-Margaret said touching David's upper arm and then to look to Belle. "You okay?"

Belle held back the urge to roll her eyes at the question and flashed a short smile at Mary-Margaret. "I'm okay."

Smiling sweetly, Mary-Margaret took a short step to close gap between herself and Belle and reached out to lay her hand on Belle's arm. The sympathetic look Mary-Margaret gave her was so unwanted in that moment, Belle snatch her arm away from Mary-Margaret's touch. Silently she stood unmoving and showed Mary-Margaret an appreciative smile.

"Come on, everyone." Belle said gesturing towards the stairs. "Let's get back to the party and enjoy what's left of the evening."

"You sure?" Ruby questioned.

"Yes. I'm sure." Belle nodded her head in conjunction with what she said and snaked an arm around Mary-Margaret, encouraging her friend towards the top of the stairs. Ruby placed her hand on Belle shoulder, pausing for a second to look into Belle's eyes, and when she saw what she needed to see, she moved from the landing to the stairs taking Mary-Margaret and David with her, asking their friends what drinks they would like from the bar.

Belle gently breathed in. She had not noticed until she was watching her friends descend the large staircase, but a heaviness had set over her chest, almost suffocating her. She closed her eyes. An urge to cry lingered in the shadows. Concentrating on the steady rhythm of her breathing, Belle fought with the urge. She did not want to ruin Ruby's hard work and trail hot wet tears through her makeup again. She did not want everyone to huddle around her again, surrounding her in a wall of concern. It had been nice to begin with, hearing each familiar voice inquire after her as each one had heard and had arrived in Gladius's study to see if they could help. However, the unfamiliar care of others swamped her, drowned her in their worry.

A gentle kiss was pressed to her cheek drawing her out of her thoughts to turn her head, opening her eyes, to see Albert smiling at her. She slung her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into her side, lulling her head onto his shoulder.

"I'm not bothered, if you want to go home." Albert told her, meeting her gaze when she lifted her head from his shoulder.

"No, no. We're staying." Belle told him, raising her hand to touch his cheek. "Go on. Go and have a good time with Emma."

He did not say anything more. Doing as he had been told, Albert slipped his hand into Emma's hand and led her to the top of the stairs, leaving Belle and Rumald alone on the landing. At the top of the stairs, Albert briefly glanced back at her before stepping down the first step and descended with Emma to the party below.

While the sweethearts slowly went out of view, Belle shifted her eyes to Rumald, who had not moved, had not said a word, from his position leant against the banister. His fingers were still working his moonstone ring around his finger, his gaze was still pointed down at the floor. She could not help the genuine smile spreading her lips, even though she really did not feel like smiling but it could not be helped when it came to him. Especially as she noticed some of his hair had cascaded down to cover part of his forehead. Apart from the pictures from his younger days, it was longest she had seen it.

Ambling over to him, Belle stepped into the space between where his feet were spread wide apart and titled her head to the side, trying to catch his eye. Gradually, his eyes travelled up legs, her dress and came to a stop when their eyes met. There was a mixture of emotions in his eyes. An internal struggle to remain in control of himself. Seeing his turmoil, she slid her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him, hugging him with her head lightly resting against his. Naturally his arms encircled her and held her.

He mumbled into her shoulder. "I wish I was as strong as you."

His words nearly broke her banks. Belle sniffled back the tear that had threatened to escape and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. If only he knew the truth. Knew that he was the one, who gave her the strengthen to be so strong. Gave her the will to get up and take each step. If only he knew, how she did not want to let him down, to not show him she could be as strong as he was. How she was in awe of his determination over the years, with everything that he had been through, to keep going, even though he had been given plenty of reasons to give up. How she loved his resilience to break from his father, to bring his son up on his own after Milah had left and to let her into his heart after all the pain love had ever brought him. That in itself, showed how strong Rumald was.

His head shook before he buried his face into the crook of her neck, saying. "I wanted to smash his face in so much, Belle. The thought of him laying a hand on you… that he hurt you, makes my blood boil."

"I know." She told him clinging her arms tightly around his neck and stroke her hand down the back of his head.

"I want to do something. I want to make him pay!" He spoke into the crook her neck.

Belle breathed in before she said. "I don't want to think about it. Not tonight."

"I don't know whether I can stop myself from thinking about it." Rumald leant back, revealing his face to her and all the lines that were traced over his brow, weighing his forehead down over his eyes.

Lifting her hand from where it rested at the back of his neck, she leisurely stroked down the side of his face, saying. "All day, all I've wanted to do is dance with you." He closed his eyes leaning his face into her touch. "I'm not going to ask you to not think about it, but if we can at least enjoy what's left of the evening, that'll make me happy."

He opened his eyes and let her gaze. "Whatever you want, sweetheart."

She closed the space between them and kissed him, moulding her body into his. They shared a small smile before Rumald stood up from leaning on the banister and took hold of Belle's hand, entwining their fingers together. Together, they descended the stairs and re-entered the party.


	105. Chapter 105

The bed was so comfortable that Belle never wanted to wake up. The pillows were perfect. The duvet was the right thickness for her to cocoon herself with it. The mattress was cushioned her like no other bed ever had before… But, as she lay there half awake, something was missing and she knew exactly what it was. Rumald.

Shifting over onto her back, Belle peeked her eyes open and reached out to Rumald's side of the bed to find he was not there. She already knew he was not there, but actually seeing and feeling the coldness of his side of bed confirmed it. Belle lifted her head up and gazed around the dark room. The only thing that broke the darkness was the moonlight pouring in through the window, streaming light across the room. Belle sat up in the bed as her eyes swept over the room again, mistakenly thinking she was alone in the room. It was as her gaze came upon the armchair, positioned near the window, her eyes had adjusted enough to see Rumald's outline sat in the armchair.

Belle folded her legs under the duvet and sat studying him across the room, whilst she breathed out a small sigh of relief. As they had danced, she had known his mind had been elsewhere. She had not held it against him. How could anyone hold it against someone, who only wanted to protect their family?

Something glinted in the moonlight when Rumald moved raising his hand up to his face. She watched him take a sip from a glass and lowered it to rest on top of his knee, while the whole time he gazed out of the window onto the grounds of Gladius's estate. He was deep in thought, Belle knew he was without being able to see the whole of his face. A soft smile spread her lips. Seeing him lost in his own thoughts always made her smile. She knew she was probably the reason he was awake at this time in the morning, troubled by the events of the evening. He had not said anymore about it after they returned to the party. They had chatted with friends, or more she had as he had ghosted nearby. He had held her closer than ever as they had danced. Tentatively, he had kept his hand near her lower back. Just that small gesture was enough to make her feel safe. Safer than anyone had ever made her feel.

His head lulled back to rest against the back of the armchair. "I can hear you thinking from over here."

"And your thinking woke me up." She threw back lightly. Finally, Rumald turned his head to look at her and he looked tired. A prang of guilt went through her as she pondered if he had been sat in the armchair since she fell asleep in his arms.

Belle patted the space beside her on the bed as she said. "Come back to bed."

Rumald straightened his head and raised his glass to take another sip before saying. "I've tried a few times. Can't sleep."

"Well… Come back to bed and hold me until I fall asleep again." She told him, patting the spot next to her again. The corner of his lip pulled back into half a smile. To reinforce, Belle pulled back the covers on his side of the bed and patted the mattress soundly, nodding her head in the direction of his side as encouragement. His smile bloomed before he knocked back the rest of his drink and stood, discarding his empty glass to a dresser as he passed it on his slow amble to the bed.

Smiling broadly at him, Belle waited for him to slide into bed beside her and then threw the covers over him and settled in beside him. Perfection, she thought to herself snuggling closer to him and cushioned her head with his shoulder. As he always did, Rumald stroked her hair back and rested his cheek on top of her head. The only other word that came to mind was bliss, whilst Rumald absently ran his fingers through her hair, combing the unruly curls back from her face.

"This is all too strange to me." Rumald said unexpectantly.

Pressing her brow down her eyes, Belle ran her nails down the centre of his chest. "What's strange?"

"Sixteen years ago, I was lying in my bed over the garages thinking what the future would hold for me." He paused as did his fingers in her hair and said. "I never imagine any of this."

"Well… Seeing as you would've been thinking of a life with Milah, I'm not surprised you didn't imagine any of this." Belle said titling her head down out of his sight, partly vexed he was thinking of Milah.

His arm tightened around her, drawing her even closer. "It just amazes me how life has changed this year." He chuckled turning his head to press a kiss to the top of her head. "And to think I spent a day cursing the girl, who bumped into me."

"A whole day?" She questioned.

"It was a freshly pressed suit." Rumald defended, while his other hand found her hand on his chest and laced their fingers together.

Belle giggled, briefly squeezing their laced fingers. "I don't think, I've ever stopped cursing my father's handsome landlord."

"Handsome?" She could feel him grinning against her hair. "I don't know about that, but I don't blame you for cursing him. I hear he has a reputation for being a right bastard at times." Rumald said repositioning his head on his pillow.

"At times, he can be." She titled her head up to see him and unlaced her fingers from his to reach up and touch his face, as she said. "But I love him no matter what."

Gently, Rumald smiled at her. A soft urge with her fingers and he closed the gap between their lips, firmly kissing her. Heavenly, she thought as their kiss ended and laid her head back onto his shoulder. The rhythmic lull of his fingers running through her hair reminded her of her mother. She clenched her eyes shut at the memory, cherishing the precious memory of her mother holding her, protectively watching over her as she slept peacefully. At one time, Belle had thought moments like those had died with her mother as she had never had them with her father. But lying beside Rumald, held his arms, she knew she was safe with him and fell asleep again.

She had slept peacefully and stretched out in the bed as she awoke. Peering her eyes open, Belle was not surprised to find Rumald was out of bed again. Rolling to over to the edge of the bed, she slipped her legs out of the bed and threw back the covers as she sat up to sit on the edge of the bed. As she yawned, Belle glanced around the room to find she was completely alone this time. With a shrug of her shoulders, Belle pushed herself up from the bed and made her way to the bathroom to relieve herself and take a shower.

Stood in front of the mirror over the sink, Belle surveyed the extent of the bruises and scrapes on her neck and face. They did not appear to be as severe as they had the night before, but still left her wishing she had left a mark or two on Killian. She shook her head at herself knowing she above such behaviour and left the bathroom with a towel wrapped around. Rumald had left the overnight bag, she had packed Friday night, on the bench seat at the foot of the bed. Effortlessly the towel fell from around her with a tug and was tossed to the bed. Belle delved into her bag and changed into the jeans woolly jumper she had packed.

After repacking her overnight bag with her clothes from last night, Belle exited the bedroom and sauntered down the hallway to the landing. Chatter and piano music echoed through the house, joined with the odd chuckle and giggle. Bemused, Belle descended the stairs lightly gliding her hand over the banister until she reached the last step. The chatter seemed to be coming from the living room Gladius barely used, which surprised Belle, but headed to the living room anyway.

As she entered the doorway, Belle smiled. It was picturesque the sight of them. Gladius was sat nearby in an armchair, twisted in the chair so she could see Rumald and Albert sat at the piano together. A missed pressed key on the piano erupted Gladius into giggles, while Albert huffed and complained he would never get it.

Rumald chuckled and shook his head. "You're worrying too much about the next key. Just relax. Here," he placed his hands over the keys. "Watch me again."

It was as though a light had been switched on. Listening to the majestic tune his fingers provoked from the piano startled her briefly. Stood just inside the doorway, Belle stared at the back of Rumald, watching the stillness of him while he played piano.

"See, you get to this part," He said to Albert. "And your worrying about the jump up the keys, you stop concentrating on what you're actually playing. Just relax and play."

"I swear you two only do this to laugh at me." Albert swore to them as he took over playing from Rumald, who had relaxed back from the keys.

"Not at all, my dear." Gladius told him grinning from ear to ear. "It's nice to hear the old girl be played. I miss the nights your father would play for me. It was the only thing that would take my mind off your mother's shenanigans."

Belle began to approach as Rumald rolled his eyes at Gladius. "How ironic? One of the things she made the biggest fuss over getting, then didn't want, takes you mind off her crap."

"It does when it's played, so expertly, by yourself." Gladius said in response to Rumald, while smiling at Belle approaching.

"Don't sweet talk me." Rumald was saying when he felt Belle's hand on his shoulder, snapping his head to look up at her. "Morning, sweetheart."

"We didn't wake you, my dear?" Gladius asked whilst Belle stooped to kiss Rumald's lips.

Belle shook her head lightly at Gladius question and wrapped her arms loosely around Rumald's neck, leaning some of her weight onto his back. "No, not at all."

Albert missed keyed and roared bashing his fists into the keys. "I can't do this!"

"Hey!" Rumald jolted himself out of Belle's arms and grabbed Albert's fists to lift them off the keys, ending the droning tone from the piano. "Get annoyed, but don't bash your fists into the keys!"

"This is stupid!" Albert snatched his hands out of Rumald's and jumped up from the piano stool. "I said I can't do it!"

Before Albert could dash off in temper, Rumald hauled Albert back down onto the seat beside him. "You can do this and you were doing it. It comes with practise. You cannot expect yourself to sit down to something and be able to do it."

"You do!" Albert threw at this father.

"Bae," Rumald said softly as he stroked some of Albert's curls behind his ear. "You shouldn't compare yourself to me. And anyway, I've had years of practise."

Albert's shoulders dropped with the loud huff he exhaled and said. "I'm just not good enough."

"You will be. You just need to practise." Rumald said trying to encourage his son. Quietly groaning his frustration out, Rumald drew his son closer and hugged him, sweetly whispering more words of encouragement into his son's ear. Belle loved watching them. No one could mistake how much they loved each other. The care Rumald was able to show to his son after receiving barely any of he was growing up amazed Belle. But then, a man who had never really known love, to love as strongly as he did, was a mystery all on its own.

Gladius groaned getting up from her armchair. "Come on, young man. Come and help your old grandma to pack some things for tonight."

"Okay." Albert said quietly, receiving a kiss from Rumald to the side of his head. A pat to his back from Rumald and stood up from the piano stool. Stepping by the stool, Albert missed the look shared between Rumald and Gladius, a sympathetic smile shared from Gladius to Rumald. His head nodded in appreciation.

"Right, young man." Gladius firmly took hold of Albert's arm, wrapping her own around his, and marched them out of the room saying. "No peeking at the Christmas presents. I don't want you telling your father what's he got again, before he's even opened them."

"It's a gift." Belle heard Albert explained to his grandmother as they left the room.

"Wish he didn't think like that." Hearing Rumald speak, Belle turned around to face him. "She's put all those thoughts of not good enough in his head." He said down to where he was cradling his hands in his lap.

Needing to be closer to him, Belle quickly sat beside him on the piano stool and took his hands from his lap to hold in her own. "And we'll get them out of his head." She said to him squeezing his hands. "We just need to keep telling him and he'll realise one day that he is good enough. That he always was enough."

"Those thoughts will never leave his head. They'll linger in the back of his mind, telling him he's not good enough. That he doesn't deserve love. That everyone is right." Belle eyebrow slowly rose as Rumald spoke, feeling Rumald was talking more about himself than Albert.

"And that's why everyday we'll tell him the truth." Rumald sheepishly looked up from his hands to meet her gaze. "We'll tell him, we love him. Tell him, he's wanted and he's more than good enough. That he's everything to us."

Squeezing his eyes shut at her words, he raised their hands to his lips and kissed the knuckles on one of her hands. "You really do astound me." Rumald said lowering their hands to rest in his lap. "Loving him as if he was your own. You've been more of a mother to him, over the last eleven months, than Milah ever has been to him."

"Don't worry about him, Rumald." Belle did not ignore the truth of his words, but did not want the conversation to become about Milah as it so readily did at the mention of Milah. "As long as he's got both of us, and Gladius, and Emma and his friends, he'll be fine."

"Indeed." He agreed smoothing his thumb over her thumbnail.

"Hey, come on! I want to see you play! You never told me you could play!" Belle said energetically, placing his hands on top of the keys.

Rumald splayed his fingers over the keys and began to play out a tune as he said. "I did tell you, you would be amazed at what I could do with these hands."

Leaning into him, she quickly kissed his cheek and said. "Oh, I know and I am."

They shared a knowing grin between them. Belle remained inclined against him and hooked her arm around his, listening to him play with her head resting on his shoulder. His hands moved effortlessly over the keys. Precisely he pressed each key in turn, contorting his hands to reach more than one key at the same time. The tune had a sadness about it. Probably one Rumald had played many a night to himself, knowingly finding each key, while he placed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"Play something a bit more… happier." Belle requested.

"Like what?" He asked continuing the tune he was already playing.

She shrugged her shoulder at him. "I don't know. Anything."

"I think I know what you might like." Rumald said after a moment or two of thought. "But you'll need to lean off me, sweetheart." Taking her cue, she leant off him and sat back and watched him shift closer to the piano keys, showing her a smile as he did so. He started to play again, glancing back and forth between the keys and Belle.

The tune suddenly sparked something within her. A niggling feeling that she knew the tune came over her. It felt so long ago that she had heard it, but it was a welcomed old friend, back with old fond memories. She smiled sadly at her old friend, remembering afternoons spent with her mother waltzing about the living room, feeling so free in her mother arms. The cry of 'again, again' always echoed when the end credits came up the screen. Followed by the fond memory of throwing popcorn at Albert in the living room, when she had spotted him hiding his tears behind a cushion. Belle closed her eyes remembering so many happy memories and lost herself to Belle and the Beast waltzing.

"How did you know?" She asked opening her eyes to look at him.

Rumald grinned. "You've mentioned once or twice, how much you love it." He nodded his head to the piano as he played. "You like, then?"

"I love it!" Belle told him and did not hesitate to lean into him, interrupting his playing, to kiss him soundly on the mouth. They lingered together, kissing one another, in the silence of the living room. The rest of the world felt so far away and she would not have had it any other way. It was nice to have time for just them.

"Dad!" Came a yell from somewhere else in the mansion. She chuckled at her own thought, soon followed by another of how things never change, while Rumald shouted back to Albert. A plead for help came from the bodiless voice. By the way Rumald rolled his eyes, Belle knew he would rather stay with her, but excused himself to find his son. She observed Rumald walking out of the living room, never once begrudging the fact Albert had called him away. It only made her heart grow fonder.

Left on her own downstairs, Belle had decided to raid the kitchen and sorted herself out a few things for a late brunch, earlier lunch, listening to endless whinging of Albert as he brought more things downstairs to pack into Belle's car. By three o'clock, Belle's trunk and backseat were full with luggage and large bags of Christmas presents. She had paused climbing into car, jealous of the amount Gladius had bought everyone for Christmas. The small amount she had been able to afford felt inept compared to Gladius's selection. Her thoughts had been troubled by this on her drive home, listening to Albert and Gladius babble about their plans for Christmas Eve. She had powered on towards home after Rumald had turned off to head into town, needing to sort out some business before he came home.

The preparations for the evening at the Gold residence had distracted Belle enough, she had not noticed it was nearly eight o'clock, when thoughts of Rumald began plague her thoughts. She was mulling over where he was, staring at the clock on the mantlepiece, when Gladius came into living room carrying a small wooden chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gladius take up in the armchair she always favoured when visiting and placed the wooden box on the floor between her feet.

"I do love Christmas with my boys." Gladius commented and opened the chest at her feet, reaching in to pull out a ball of light blue wool and two knitting needles, which were already feed into something Gladius had started knitting previously. Curious, Belle turned her head to give Gladius her full attention as the older woman settled herself into the armchair.

Gladius stopped what she was doing and looked over to Belle. "I never expected last Christmas, that we would have another addition to the family. But to think, next year there'll be another one as well!"

Belle broke out into a wide smile and lovingly looked down to her stomach, placing her hand over the small bump. "I never expected any of this last Christmas."

"Life is always full of surprises, my dear." Gladius picked up knitting needles and began knitting as she said. "And they always come when you least expect them."

"What are you making?" Belle asked with her hand lingering over her stomach.

Gladius looked up from her knitting and smiled. "I'm making things for the baby, of course."

"Really?" Belle was taken aback.

"I can't not make things for my new grandchild." Hearing the love Gladius had already for the baby, had Belle on the brink of tears. Rapidly she blinked back the tears in a hope of stemming them before they streamed down her face.

"Oh, Belle." Gladius said from across the living room. "I didn't mean to upset you, my dear."

"You haven't, honestly." Belle urged. "It's just… I don't really have any family of my own. And suppose, excluding Bae, neither does Rumald." Gladius sat eagerly listening as Belle continued. "It just really touches me, how you already consider yourself my child's grandmother without us being related."

Collecting her knitting together, Gladius placed them back into the chest and removed herself from the armchair to sit next to Belle on the couch, taking hold of Belle's hand as she told her. "Family is not just being related by blood or law." Reaching to Belle's face, Gladius stroked away a lonesome tear that had escaped. "It's the people you care about. The people you would gladly give your life for, if it meant eternal happiness for them."

"I know." Belle forced a smile, even though all she wanted, for some unknown reason, was to bury her face into Gladius's shoulder and cry.

"I love you both as if you were my own." Gladius swept her thumb over Belle's cheek again. "And I will love this baby as if they were my own grandchild."

"I'm sorry, Gladius. I don't know why this is made me all teary." Belle apologised, while she hastily wiped at her eyes to rid herself of her tears.

"Oh, my dear, you should have seen me when I was pregnant." The smile Gladius showed Belle had her in no doubt that the older woman beside her loved her. "Those pesky hormones had me crying over an empty jar of peanut butter." They laughed.

Gladius sobered first and looked to the clock. "It's getting late. I thought Rumald said he wasn't going to be long."

"He did, but you know what he's like when he's working." Belle said, though she was just as concerned as Gladius sounded.

"Maybe we should try calling him." Gladius suggested. Shifting forward on the couch to sit on the edge, Belle retrieved her phone from the coffee table and unlocked it to phone Rumald as she sat back into the couch. She listened intently to the phone ringing, chorused by the voice in her head telling her he would walk through the front door any minute. It rang endlessly until Rumald's voicemail picked up the call.

Belle grimaced at Gladius. "He's probably on his way home. He won't answer if he's driving."

"I'll tell you what," Gladius stood up from the couch. "I'll make us some cocoa and we'll try him again. No doubt he'll walk through the door any minute."

Gladius's soothing words and the voice inside her head could not quell the unease she felt. While Gladius busied herself by going to the kitchen, Belle returned to staring at the clock on the mantlepiece. Since the incident with Hyde, Rumald had always kept her updated with where he was and when he would be home. Maybe with the holidays and sorting things for a week off together, he had become distracted in the shop and had buried himself into his paperwork. Telling herself this still did not help or ease the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She rung him again and listened to the rings, silently praying for him to answer. Holding her breath between each ring in case he answered and she did not hear him answer, wanting to hear the change in tone more than anything. Just as she breathed out the tone changed. It had been answered. Belle breathed out loudly through her nose, cursing the wretched thoughts in her head, ready to answer him with a normal hello so she did not give away she had been worried. Then his voicemail messaged played and she cursed aloud to herself and ended the call.

"Everything alright?" Came Gladius's distant voice from the kitchen.

"Yes, Gladius." Belle glared at her phone. "Everything's fine."

Belle jumped on the couch. The loud purposeful knock at the wood of the front door resonated through her. She thought it peculiar he would knock the door, but with speed Belle bounced up from the couch and jogged into the entrance hall.

"I told you, he would be home soon. Could smell the cocoa!" Gladius proclaimed from the kitchen. Belle grinned and opened the front door. Normally the cold would have been the culprit for the chill running down her spine, not the sight of Sheriff Graham with his shoulders hunched up, wrapped warmly in a scarf and his thick standard issue winter jacket. His uniform clashed in the light against the darkness and the large white flecks falling down to the ground. It looked as though it had been snowing for a while, a couple of hours at least.

"Miss French." Sheriff Graham gestured into the house. "May I come in?"

She had never been kissed when it was snowing. Not like they did in the movies before they got their happy ending. It brought images of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan on the Empire State building, snow falling around them, as they kissed sealing their fate forever.

"Miss French, can I come in?" Sheriff Graham asked taking a step into the doorway. A waft of his sweet aftershave drifted towards her. It was not an offending smell. Just not one she was accustomed to smelling or wanted to become familiar with. The only aftershave she wanted to smell was the spicy smell that comforted her.

Belle looked down to where Sheriff Graham was touching her arm. "Please, Belle, let me come in."

"Sheriff Graham?" Gladius inquired coming up behind Belle with two cups of cocoa in her hands.

"Mrs Johnson, can I come in, please?" Sheriff Graham redirected his question to Gladius.

"Of course, of course." Gladius backed away. "Come on, Belle. Let the Sheriff into the house. You're letting all of the cold into the house."

Without even thinking about it, Belle stepped out of the way and let Sheriff Graham into the house. He quickly stepped into the house and unzipped his jacket as he did so, unwrapping his scarf from around his neck as well.

"Would you like a cocoa, Sheriff Graham?" Gladius asked ambling into the living room.

"Erm… No, Mrs Johnson. I'm here in an official capacity." He replied, his attention solely on Belle.

Placing the cups down on the coffee table, Gladius hurried back into the entrance hall. "An official capacity?"

"Yes." Sheriff Graham looked unsure for a second. "I'm here to inform you, there's been an car accident involving Mr Gold."

Songs:  
Slow Fade Sailors – Be, Leave (Piano music)  
Una Luna – Calm at Last (Piano music)  
Beauty and the Beast Theme for Piano


	106. Chapter 106

Big tuffs of snow were drifting down in the night sky, slowly building a layer over Storybrooke. A few people were out the snow, either marvelling in the unexpectant white Christmas or bowing their heads down as they trudged their way through the crunchy nuisance. The layer of snow on the roads had already had car tracks drawn into them as people made their way to holiday festivities or travelled to relatives in preparations for Christmas Day. That was what they were supposed to be doing. They should have been settling down for the evening, snuggled on the couch with the fire roaring in the fireplace. Socked feet candidly touching and caressing, stroking the other's foot, a gentle protective hand lingering over her small bump, whilst they enjoyed a quiet moment together before the bedlam of Christmas Day. Instead Belle was driving across town to the hospital, fighting the hot tears that wanted to stream down her cheeks.

Albert and Gladius were vigorously exchanging words between themselves through the gap in the front seats. They would throw the odd question at Belle, who would choose to concentrate on driving and solely on what was in front of her and not what she was imagining. A second of silence would pass while they waited for her to respond, but the inpatients of waiting for her to answer would be too much for them and one of them would step in to answer the question. She could not risk breaking her concentration. The chance of her tears to stream down her cheeks came closer with every breath.

They were constantly droning on about the accident, going over all the details that Sheriff Graham felt he could share with them. Belle did not want to think about it. She did not want to think about how his car had ploughed down an embankment, how the front end of it had moulded itself around a tree and how the car was so mangled, it had taken over an hour to cut Rumald from the car. Breathing out, she tried not to think about the vague description the Sheriff had given about Rumald's injuries. The more she heard the two of them discussing it made Belle want to scream. She wanted to yell, beat her hands on the steering wheel, let out all the emotions she was caging up inside.

The mantra 'to be brave' kept repeating over and over in her head as Belle drove and gnawed at her lower lip. Her mouth had long ago been invaded by the metallic taste of her own blood, drawn from her lip by her teeth. It had mixed together with the bile taste that had formed in her mouth after hearing the news about Rumald. Several times she had tried to swallow the nasty taste away, but the taste would not go away.

As Belle slowed the car and flicked the turn signal, she swallowed as hard as she could, taking the turn into the hospital and felt Albert pull on the back of her seat as he leaned through the gap between the front seats. "I want to see dad!"

"You will, dear. You will." Gladius said reaching over her shoulder to touch Albert's hand clasping the back of her seat. The conversation shared between Gladius and Albert washed over Belle. She spotted a vacant space and pulled the car into the space before forcing the gear lever into park. The rear door flung open and car shifted from side to side as Albert hurried to climb out of the car. Breathing in deeply, Belle closed her eyes and held onto the steering wheel, stealing a moment to force herself.

"Are you okay, dear?" Gladius inquired placing her hand on Belle's forearm.

The touch brought Belle out of her quiet reverie. "Yeah."

The sympathetic look Gladius gave Belle would have been enough to break her banks, if she was not constantly repeating to herself that she had to stay strong. Allowing herself to breakdown would not help Rumald. She had to be there for him just like she had for her mother, offering strengthen through a simple touch. Closing her eyes to block out the look on Gladius's face, Belle breathed in deeply and held her breath for a couple of seconds longer than needed before she released it. She knew she could do this, she had done it before and would do anything for him. Belle opened her eyes and grimaced a smile at Gladius as she tugged the door handle to open her car door.

The cold rushed at her, invading the warmth of the car, but Belle was unphased by it as she stepped out of her car and shut her door behind her. She paused by the side of the car. Gladius's car door shut and her feet crunched in the fresh snow as she came around the car. Letting her gaze chase after Albert, Belle watched him for a few seconds bouncing from foot to foot, impatiently waiting for them at the kerb. A ghost of a smile drifted over her lips. Albert may have had a darker hair colour to his father, but there was no mistaking he was Rumald's son, especially with the worried look he wore on his face.

As Belle began to walk across the parking lot to meet Albert at the kerb, Gladius appeared by her side and snaked her arm around Belle's, pulling the younger woman into the warmth of her side. Her eyes were drawn to the comforting touch of Gladius's hand rubbing up and down the arm of her coat.

"Rumald will be fine, dear." Gladius told her to reassure her. A response was on the tip of her tongue, but with the threat of tears closer than they had been in the car, Belle decided to bow her head and push herself forward with each step she took.

"Where do we go in?" Albert called, waving his arms in different directions. "Emergency room? Reception?"

Gladius pointed to reception. "We'll go in through reception."

At the speed of a bullet, Albert raced off towards the Hospital reception, desperate to get to his father. She knew she should have been right by his side as he rushed through the automatic doors, demanding to know where his father was in the hospital. His first reaction to hearing the news was to storm out of the door, needing to get to his father's side. Whereas she had stood in the entrance hall, shell-shocked by news. Belle wished she had been more like Gladius and Albert, who had been uncrippled by the news. If it had been up to her, she probably would have been curled up into a little ball on top of their bed, her face smothered in his pillow, crying out for him in a ragged voice much like she had after her mother had passed.

The Hospital reception doors slid open as they approached. They could hear Albert as they entered, demanding the receptionist to tell him where his father was, what condition was he in and when could he see him. The young receptionist looked bewildered by the onslaught of questions, unsure which one she should answer first or how best to deal with the young man, who was towering over the counter towards her.

"Where is he then?!" Albert demanded from the young woman, straining himself to see her screen under her counter. Under her breath Gladius cursed God and unhooked her arm from Belle's, and quickened her step to join Albert at the reception desk. Slowly bringing up the rear, Belle joined them as Gladius yanked Albert back from the counter.

Graciously Gladius smiled at the young woman. "I'm sorry about my grandson, he's very concerned about his father." Albert scowled at his grandmother. "But could you have a look on the system and tell us where we can find him, please?"

The woman looked between the three of them wide eyed, probably trying to figure out who was going to attack her first if she did not give them the information. Visibly she swallowed before laying her hands on the keyboard and typed Rumald's name into the system. The receptionist's eyebrows scrunched down over her eyes as she read through the information on the screen.

"Mr Gold is in surgery at the moment, according to this." She said timidly, cautiously watching Albert's reaction.

"Okay, thank you." Gladius told the young receptionist. "Can you get a message to the attending and tell them I would like an update as soon as possible? We'll be in the cafeteria."

A brief nod of her head and the receptionist began typing into the computer, sheepishly eyeing Albert from the corner of her eye. Belle would have normally felt sorry for the young woman and probably nudged Albert in his side to prompt an apology out of the teenager. But she could not think about that or the interaction between Gladius and the receptionist. Belle was stuck with the image of Rumald covered in a green sheet, surgeons stood around him, cutting into him. She drew her lip between her teeth and began to stress about whether something would go wrong during surgery.

"Belle," Gladius placed a hand on her back and Belle turned her head to look at the older woman. "Come along, dear."

The gentle hand on Belle's back guided her away from the reception desk and lightly pushed her down a corridor. The décor of the corridor reminded her of the hospital her mother had inhabited for the last of her days. The further they travelled down the hallway, the stronger the unforgettable smell that she associated with hospitals grew.

She had long forgotten the dread she would feel walking through the main entrance to the hospital, carrying a bunch of daisies in her arms, trying to prepare herself for the two hours she would have to face on her own because her father could not be brave enough to face the remnants of her mother, wasting away to nothing in a hospital bed. Nothing could ever rid her of the memories and Belle would never want to be rid of them either, but over time of forcing herself to focus on the good times and look forward to the future had faded the memories to the back of her mind. Belle drew her lip once again into her mouth and bit down into her lip, whilst her dread hugged her tightly as if she was being greeted by an old friend.

A lonely feeling came over Belle as they entered the hospital cafeteria. Gladius pulled out a chair at the nearest table and offered the chair to Belle. Lowering herself down into the chair, she heard Gladius tell Albert to come with her and the pair headed to the counter. She sat with her arms braced down onto the table, cupping her hands in front of her whilst she ran her thumbnail back and forth in the edge of her left hand's thumbnail.

The question of 'What is going to happen to her?' swam round and round inside her head. A selfish thought given the circumstances, but one no one would not forgive for. Belle was trying so hard to push the question out of her mind and to think about the positive. He would survive. He would come home. He would spend the rest of his life with her. Not, he was going to die. Not, he going to leave her just like her mother did. She refused to think anything negative, but the thoughts were still there drowning out everything else. Hounding her into thinking the worse.

"Oh, Rumald." She murmured to herself as she perched her elbows onto the table to cover her face with her hands. The first few tears that fell were hot and fast, desperate to trail down her cheeks. She shuddered in a breath whilst another wave of tears trailed down her cheek, chasing different paths over her skin. All she wanted, as the tears fell, was for Rumald to wrap his arms around her, squeeze her into his chest, drowning her in the scent of him, whilst he told her everything would be alright.

There was a chink onto the table, but Belle had lost her battle and could not stop the tears. She shook with the tears and even the arms, which had wrapped themselves around her, could not stop the tears from falling either. They whispered into her ear that it was okay, but she knew they were wrong. They were wrong. From what Sheriff Graham described, Rumald would be affected for the rest of his life as long as he made it through his surgery. Thinking how he might not make it through caused more tears to cascade down her cheeks.

"Please don't cry, Belle." Albert pleaded. He hugged her so hard, she did not know whether it was her shuddery breaths or the constriction of his arms making her breathless. Nevertheless, she basked in the comfort he gave her, whilst pretending it was Rumald holding her.

"Oh, dear!" Came a quiet cry from Gladius as she placed two cups of coffee down onto the table. "He'll be okay. Rumald's a strong one, I promise." Gladius told her pulling out the chair beside her and un-ceremonially dropped into the chair and wrapped her arm around the back of Belle's chair.

Belle lowered her hands from her face, forcing Albert to release his hold around her, and crooked her neck to see Gladius beside her. "I hope so, Gladius. I really hope so."

Gladius smiled, beaming reassurance at Belle, and said. "I know he will." Gladius reached up and combed a piece of Belle's hair out of her face and hooked it behind her ear. "He will because he doesn't want to lose you as much as you don't want to lose him. And of course, he's got Albert and the baby to fight for."

"I can't lose him, Gladius." Belle stated with a lonesome tear rolling down her cheek.


End file.
